America Online (AOL) is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions.
A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. AOL LLC and its subsidiaries have operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. [Source: AOL, March 2008]
Things to read:
- About America Online;
- Wikipedia: AOL.
Questions to consider:
- What factors help explain AOL’s ascendency to the largest online subscription service, and it’s subsequent decline?
- What is the strategy behind AOL’s merger with Time Warner? Why did it fail?
- What problems are at the core of AOL’s recent troubles? How can the company turn around and set itself on a path to success?
Intellectual Property
Selected trademark registrations:
- AMERICA ONLINE ®;
- AOL.COM ®;
- YOU’VE GOT MAIL ®;
- YOU HAVE MAIL ®;
- AIM ®;
- BUDDY LIST ®;
- Search real-time for U.S. trademarks.
Selected patents:
- 6,393,469 — Method and apparatus for publishing hypermedia documents;
- 6,385,656 — Selective recompression of files in a network system;
- 6,381,599 — Seamless integration of internet resources;
- 6,339,784 — Self-policing, rate limiting online forums;
- 6,012,051 — Consumer profiling system with analytic decision processor;
- 6,009,413 — System for real time shopping;
- Search real-time for recent U.S. patents granted to AOL.