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On Jan. 9, 2023, a Twitter user tweeted that Sony owns a patent that would force viewers to exclaim the brand name during commercials [in order] to end them. The tweet, which went viral, was accompanied by a meme-worthy patent illustration: Snopes readers asked us if this was a genuine patent truly owned by Sony and if its purpose is accurately described in the viral tweet. In short, the answer to both questions is yes. More broadly, the patent — tracked down by TechRadar editor Lance Ulanoff — describes a system for converting television commercials into interactive networked video games. The verbal commercial-ender is just one of several advertising solutions outlined in the patent. The patent is, indeed, owned by Sony. The viral image comes from Figure 9 in this patent. The interpretation of the comic matches the technical notes for this figure: What's the point? The patent provides one example of a motivation for both advertiser and viewer: This, it bears highlighting, is not the only McDonald's-based interactive commercial technology described in the Sony patent. Figure 8 describes a scenario in which a viewer could speed up a commercial by throwing a pickle into a burger: Because this is a genuine patent owned by Sony that describes a system for skipping commercials that involves yelling brand names out loud, the claim is True.
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