IBM and Samsung In Huge Patent Deal
IBM and Samsung have agreed on a patent cross-licensing deal under which the companies are licensing their "respective" patent portfolios to each other.
According to IBM, the deal includes a "wide range" of semiconductors, telecommunications, visual and mobile communication, software and technology services. While there was no detailed information available our sources mentioned that the agreement is likely among the widest ranging ever signed in the IT industry.
Of course, such an agreement was merely a matter of time, as IBM and Samsung are the leading organizations in the U.S. patent race in which the companies are attempting to acquire copyrights in truckload volumes. Of the 219,614 patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last year, IBM gobbled up 5896 and Samsung 4551. This week alone, IBM was granted 152 patents and applied for 47, which is a rather low number for the company. Samsung received 113 patents and filed 121 applications.
Not all of the patents filed and granted relate directly to the company's business and the patent listings are occasionally entertaining reading material from the outside. For example, IBM received a patent for a specific (lawn) irrigation system and Samsung recently ventured into automatic shooting robots. The favorite remains Samsung's attempt to patent the patent. So it makes only sense that these two giants cross-patent a large portion of their "portfolios".
We are actually somewhat surprised that innovation in this country can still happen without getting your pants sued off. "Patents and innovation are a critical component of IBM's high-value business strategy," said Ken King, vice president, Patents, Software & Services IP Licensing for IBM, in a prepared statement. "In addition to protecting the huge investment we make in R&D, patents also allow us establish cross-licenses, which provide IBM and partners like Samsung with significant freedom of action, which is essential in the competitive global business environment."
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They applied for 47 patents and were granted 152?
They applied for 47 patents and were granted 152?
There's lag between when you apply and when you get the patent.
"Samsung recently ventured into automatic shooting robots."
I'm sure Samsung's shareholders will be happy about the application of their intellectual property when the machines become self-aware and begin to exterminate humanity. Look for the "Samsung Certified" sticker when it's your turn.
IBM huh..
whatever..
Patent the patent idea...gotta love that!! Some of this is getting out of hand just like copyright laws and copyrighting none distinct common words.
Nice typo. It was IBM that patented the patent.
HMMMM... when is this patent system going to break down?? what a joke i shit on both samsung and IBM and what ever patent bull shit there is out there. matter of a fact i think ill shit on American regulations that suffocate good business's out of the USA to why i am at it..
some patents make sense to protect ideas... the problem is you also have companies like rambus that exploit this and never actually try and r&d anything... they just get a patent wait for somebody to do somethign useful but somewhat related then expect a handout..
oh wait has rambus patented patent trolling... where do i have to mail a finskey for patent violation on this comment
Why does everyone on TH hate intellectual property rights and patents?
^
it's not about that, it's about 'big-brother' that's already watching us and the creation of a real "sky-net"...
If I could patent living, so everybody should pay me just for existing...
Mosu, clearly you can't patent living as there's plenty of evidence of it having been done and implemented before you applied for the patent.
IBM patented the patent system not Samsung.
The dirty details are few and far betwixt, but IBM and Samsung have just joined up to announce a patent cross-license agreement that could have significant impact in the world we obsess with. According the (admittedly brief) release embedded after the break, the two will license their respective patent portfolios to each other, but considering that specific terms and conditions are being kept under wraps for now, it's on us to imagine what kind of magic will result from the agreement.
skynet anyone?? xD
Mosu, clearly you can't patent living as there's plenty of evidence of it having been done and implemented before you applied for the patent.
Not if the patent office is so overworked, it does a "Approve All" like its been doing lately. Really, to get through backlog, they barely even look at many of them coming in.
Tons of bad patents are being approved, and it costs millions and years to get rid of ONE bad patent. The US is done for...
IBM is where it all started for me. Back way back before I new what RAM was or should I say SIMS cards or whatever it was back in the early mid eighties.