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Those ambitious words were the mission statement for Home Debut, Inc. when the company began back
in 1996. At the time, only 5% of Americans had access to the Internet. In November 1998, the first
do-it-yourself virtual tour system for real estate professionals was released, as Internet accounts
in the US surged to 20%.
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The Unintuitive Solution
Seeing the shift toward digital cameras and agent self-sufficiency, a complex system to enable agents
with little or no technical training to create compelling multi-media content for the Internet was created.
Several other companies cropped up to offer virtual tour solutions, but they required fancy equipment,
specialized software, or some technical expertise to get properties online.
Getting a Patent
Home Debut, Inc. filed a patent application in October 1999. In January 2005, the U.S. Patent & Trademark
Office issued U.S. Patent No. 6,839,880 to Home
Debut, Inc. A related patent was issued to Home Debut, Inc on June 2008 as
U.S. Patent No. 7,392,208.
Licensing the Approach
Home Debut, Inc. is in the process of licensing its patented technology to companies that are developing
their own systems that operate on the same basic premises. These non-exclusive licenses permit the licensee
to develop their own technology, but do not include access to any of the specific solutions that Home Debut, Inc.
has developed.
In settlement of an infringement lawsuit filed to enforce its rights, on June 6, 2008, Home Debut, Inc. granted
its first, non-exclusive license under U.S. Patent No.
6,839,880 and related patents to JustSnooping.com, Inc.
Obtaining a License
For information and options pertaining to purchasing a license for your comapny, send an email to
corp@tourfactory.com.
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