Chennai office rejects Tencent's patent application for online ads

Says Tencent's method is a mere software application, and hence is not patentable

Chinese technology major Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Ltd, one of the world's largest internet companies which owns instant messenger platforms QQ and WeChat, has lost a patent approval for its online advertisement resources searching method and apparatus in India.

Tencent had filed the patent application with the Chennai Patent Office in 2009.

There are many types of online ads such as text linkages, flag advertisements and videos, and an online advertisement resource refers to a location for exhibiting an advertisement on a website or instant messaging software.

A network media publishing an online advertisement generally has numerous and complicated resources, each with different audience characteristics and attributes. The resource can be identified by putting in a keyword that completely matches the category name.

Tencent's invention provides a method and apparatus that increases the chances of finding an online advertisement resource, the company claimed in a patent filing.

The Patent Office raised objections stating that the method is a mere software application and hence not patentable under Sections 3(k) and 3(m) of Patents Act.

While the company submitted its arguments against the objections, the Assistant Controller of Patents and Designs, Chennai, concluded that the alleged invention claims are non-patentable.