Semacode is a private company and also this company’s trade name for machine-readable ISO/IEC 16022 Data Matrix symbols which encode internet Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). It is primarily aimed at being used with cellular phones which have built-in cameras. The Data Matrix specification is given by the ISO/IEC 16022 standard.
Source: Wikipedia <Link>
That’s the reason for that two-dimensional barcode which looks like a dense crossword puzzle found in websites.
High Tech DoCoMo ad that features Semacode <link>
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Ajinomoto Stadium (Beautiful Girls) <link>
http://www.denso-wave.com/qrcode/qrfeature-e.html
QR Code is the primary form (preceding semacode). It is basically a higher generation barcode. It can contain not only URL, but also other data — it is possible to encode pictures in them, as well as Japanese characters. It is advantageous because it can take up less area than a barcode for the same data storage, and has error correction built into it so even if a part of the picture is obscured, the correct data can be extracted.