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Amazon has applied for a patent that could allow it to embed advertising on the screen of its Kindle e-book reader.
Christian Science Monitor reports that the internet retailer recently filed two applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office. One is for "providing fixed computer-displayable content in response to a consumer request for content" - effectively putting content onto a website or mobile device.
While the prospect of seeing Twilight related merchandise advertised while reading Stephenie Meyer may alarm some, other bloggers have appealed for calm. Elizabeath Clifford-Marsh, at">http://www.revolutionmagazine.com/news/918097/Amazon-mulls-in-book-adver... Revolution Magazine, noted: "According to the patent, ads will be served on an opt-in basis, but it is unclear whether Amazon interprets opt-in as a specific request or the simple act of downloading content."
At CrunchGear">http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/04/amazon-applying-for-in-book-adverti..., Devin Coldewey argued that the move may be better for the reader. He said: "An abundance of free or reduced-price content would widen the appeal of the [Kindle] — I imagine many people are put [off] by the idea that they are not getting their money’s worth. As offensive as the idea of inserting ads into a book is to me (and surely to the average reader), it’s almost certainly part of a value proposition which increases the utility of these expensive little buggers."