Microsoft patents charging more money to less-influential customers

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/12/12/1942207/Microsoft-Invents-Price-Gouging-the-Least-Influential?art_pos=2

In the world envisioned by Microsoft's just-published patent application for Social Marketing, monopolists will maximize revenue by charging prices inversely related to the perceived influence an individual has on others. Microsoft gives an example of a pricing model that charges different people $0, $5, $10, $20, or $25 for the identical item based on the influence the purchaser wields. A presentation describing the revenue optimization scheme earned one of the three inventors applause (MS-Research video), and the so-called 'influence and exploit' strategies were also featured at WWW 2008 (PDF). The invention jibes nicely with Bill Gates's pending patents for identifying influencers. Welcome to the brave new world of analytics.

MBlow Mme, Gates.

MS. Because almost every major retail already uses influence pricing. Walmart comes to mind and Amazon which actually did this as far back as 2000. I applaud them for trying to patent a already used practice though. I use several online stores that discount me because i am a long time purchaser. Want to bitch at them to?

unimportant.

Oh well! :-(

...I really don't see the point.

is that "Pricing Models" could even be considered as something patentable.