Either way, Nintendo is said to have secured patents for the new control methodology in Japan late last year.

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Further, let us say that in order to make sure that they were getting performances that met minimum standards, for the money the army was spending, they asked the quality control corps to set up a methodology for evaluating plays, to determine what theater companies would be kept on, and which would be let go.

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Trademarking the methodology of a deliberative poll (as Mr Fishkin has done) may be a form of quality control.

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