NEWS.com.au | Sensis patents search engine (September 23, 2004)

NEWS.com.au | Sensis patents search engine (September 23, 2004) Sensis patents search engine Michael Sainsbury September 23, 2004 TELSTRA'S highly profitable directories business, Sensis, has lodged global patents for part of its new internet search engine in a bid to stymie growing competition from global search giants Yahoo and Google. Sensis search chief Greg Ellis said the patents related to the company's online system Bidsmart, which let advertisers choose their level of payments based on auction process. "Ours is different in that we use geography as a parameter as well as price. My understanding of Overture (Yahoo) and Google is that they use primarily price," he said. "We have registered a patent application where price and geography are the determinants. It sits in a patent registration, then people have the right to object to that. If they can demonstrate they are already doing that, then we won't be successful." Both Yahoo/Overture and Google have indicated they will launch paid online local search services in direct competition with Sensis before the end of the year.