Patent Alert - Microsoft owns computer composition?

Those of us who do algorithmic composition might find this ... uhmmm
"interesting" to put it euphemistically.



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>Date: Mon, 15 Jun 98 10:49:42 CDT
>From: mrbill@fantasia.sps.mot.com (Bill Meadows )
>Message-Id: <9806151549.AA12432@fantasia.sps.mot.com>
>To: garym@fantasia.sps.mot.com
>Subject: Patent Alert - Microsoft owns computer composition?
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>Microsoft IS evil!
>
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>>From owner-seamus-l@luigi.music.lsu.edu Sun Jun 14 01:47:27 1998
>>Received: from luigi.music.lsu.edu by spsgate.sps.mot.com
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> id AA06988 for mrbill@fantasia.sps.mot.com; Sat, 13 Jun 98 23:45:00 MST
>To: seamus-l@luigi.music.lsu.edu
>From: Laurie Spiegel
>Subject: Patent Alert - Microsoft owns computer composition?
>Sender: owner-seamus-l@luigi.music.lsu.edu
>
>Yipes! Perhaps someone might want to challenge this new patent?!?!?!?!
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>>>From 65535 Thu Jun 11 22:08:48 1998
>>Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 22:06:58 -0400
>>From: Phil Edelstein
>>MIME-Version: 1.0
>>To: Laurie Spiegel
>>Subject: [Fwd: ]
>>
>>Came across this gruesome attachment that flitted across one of the
>>news filters.
>>
>>Looks like Bill Gates is trying to patent music composition now too.
>>
>>in any event, wishing all's well with you and always...
>>Phil
>>
>>
>>Return-Path:
>>Received: from jpmorgan.com (threshold3.jpmorgan.com [169.71.13.12])
>...
>>Date: Wed, 10 Jun 1998 08:03:12 -0400
>...
>>
>>System and process for composing musical sections (Assignee -- Microsoft
>>Corporation) - Abstract: A system and process for comprising a musical
>>section in response to a user's interaction with a multimedia presentation
>>is disclosed. The system includes a composition engine, performance engine,
>>and arbitrator. U.S. Patents - 294 words (Document link not converted)
>>
>...
>> ------------+-----------------------------+-----------------------------
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>>
>> System and process for composing musical sections (Assignee -- Microsoft
>> Corporation)
>>
>> U.S. Patents via NewsEdge Corporation : Abstract: A system and process for
>> comprising a musical section in response to a user's interaction with a
>> multimedia presentation is disclosed. The system includes a composition
>> engine, performance engine, and arbitrator. The arbitrator provides an
>> interface with an application program running a multimedia presentation.
>> The arbitrator receives parameters from the application program indicative
>> of a user's interaction and the type of music the application program
>> requests in response to the interaction. The parameters are passed to the
>> composition engine which composes a musical section having a chord
>> progression and other data therein. The musical section and a style
>> provided by the arbitrator are used by the performance engine to generate
>> music sequence data for driving a musical instrument. The performance of
>> the musical sequence data by the musical instrument occurs substantially
>> contemporaneously with the user's interaction which caused the musical
>> section composi
>>
>> tion. Because the composition engine uses processes which vary the
>> composition of musical sections, the user events which initiate
>> composition of a musical section and which occur at the same place within
>> a multimedia presentation, still vary the performance at each user event.
>>
>> Ex Claim Text: A system for composing music in response to a user's
>> interaction with a multimedia presentation comprising: an application
>> program interface for receiving parameters identifying a style, a shape,
>> and a personality for music that conform to said user's interaction with
>> said multimedia presentation; and a composition engine for composing a
>> musical section corresponding to said parameters so that a user perceives
>> the performance of the musical section to be related to said user's
>> interaction with said multimedia presentation.
>>
>> Patent Number: 5753843
>>
>> Issue Date: 1998 05 19
>>
>> If you would like to purchase a copy of this patent, please call
>> MicroPatent at 800-648-6787.
>>
>>Inventor(s): Fay, C. Todor
>> [06-06-98 at 14:13 EDT, Copyright 1998, MicroPatent, File: m0601467.5pa]
>>
>>Entire contents (C) 1998 by INDIVIDUAL, Inc., 8 New England Executive Park
>>West, Burlington, MA 01803
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