BTG to Commercialize Fundamental Patents Relating to Online Affiliate Programs; Company aims to realize value from web navigational tracking patent portfolio.Business Editors WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 1, 2003 BTG BTG BIT (Built-In Test) Target Generator BTG Bridging the Gap BTG British Technology Group BtG Betreuungsgesetz (Germany) BTG Biomass Technology Group BV BTG Begbies Traynor Group , a global technology commercialization company, today announced its plans to commercialize a portfolio of patents relating to web navigational tracking and online affiliate programs. These patented technologies are widely used in e-commerce to allow online merchants to track referrals from affiliate websites. The portfolio includes four key patents covering the mechanics behind affiliate programs. The technology allows for the efficient tracking of the movement of Internet users between websites, thereby enabling online merchants to pay their affiliates a commission for directing traffic to their website and for subsequent online purchases. Affiliate programs are the most successful marketing tool for e-commerce today. Also called associate programs, referral programs, pay-per-lead, or pay-per-click programs, they are used by more than 5,000 active online merchants worldwide, some with more than 600,000 affiliate members. According to Forrester Research, affiliate programs will drive nearly half of online retail sales by 2005 and 20 percent ($53 billion) of all e-commerce sales. The technology was developed by Infonautics Corp., a pioneering provider of personalized web-based information agents and Internet sites. Infonautics, founded in 1992, created one of the first comprehensive, subscription-based online information resources on the Internet. After the "dot com" fallout of the late 1990s, many valuable IP assets became available. BTG acquired a portion of the orphaned patent assets of Infonautics and is actively seeking to realize value from these patents. Anthony V. Lando, BTG's chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. , said: "We are continuing to build upon our portfolio of high value Internet patents, and we believe these patents are fundamental to the operation of Internet affiliate programs. BTG has a strong track record of generating significant revenue from under-utilized corporate IP assets, and we are applying that experience in the commercialization of this portfolio." About BTG BTG finds, develops and commercializes emerging technologies in the life and physical sciences. These innovations are protected by a strong portfolio of intellectual property that BTG develops and enhances. BTG then captures the value in these technologies through licensing and venturing activities. From the origins of its business in 1949, BTG has commercialized major innovations such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), noninvasive diagnostic technique that uses nuclear magnetic resonance to produce cross-sectional images of organs and other internal body structures. (MRI 1. (application) MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 2. MRI - Measurement Requirements and Interface. ), recombinant factor IX blood-clotting protein, Campath(R) (alemtuzumab) and Multilevel mul·ti·lev·el adj. Having several levels: a multilevel parking garage. Adj. 1. multilevel - of a building having more than one level Cell (MLC (MultiLevel Cell) A flash memory technology that stores more than one bit per cell. Traditional flash memory defines a 0 or 1 bit based on a single voltage threshold. ) memory. BTG is quoted on the London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange London marketplace for securities. It was formed in 1773 by a group of stockbrokers who had been doing business informally in local coffeehouses. under the symbol "BGC BGC General Cable Corporation (stock symbol) BGC Billy Graham Center BGC Baptist General Conference (formerly Swedish Baptist Denomination) BGC Boys & Girls Club BGC Bubblegum Crisis " and operates from offices in London and Philadelphia, with representation in Tokyo. BTG operates through wholly owned subsidiaries Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. , BTG International Ltd. and BTG International Inc. in the UK and USA, respectively. Further information on BTG can be found at www.btgplc.com. |
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