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USPTO Released List of Top 10 Patent Receivers
prostoalex writes "So who received the most patents in 2004? Despite the frequent publicity around Microsoft's or Amazon's frivolous patents, these two companies are not even on the list. IBM, Matsushita and Canon received the most patents in 2004, followed by HP, Micron, Samsung, Intel, Hitachi, Toshiba and Sony. IBM alone was granted 3,248 patents last year."
it would be more interesting to see the top 10 software patent list
thousands of patents, contributions to Open-Source
Kick the dog all you want. All you need to do is toss him the occasional bone and he'll follow you for life.
Why are people still railing on Amazon? Other than the controversial one-click patent a few years back, what have they done? I just think it's a little farfetched to be putting Amazon into the same "evil empire" category as Microsoft.
No idea if this has been mentioned yet, but I ran across an article yeterday that says that IBM is donating 500 of its software patents to the open source community.
Here's hoping this ends up being more than the symbolic public affairs move it resembles on the surface.
Well in South Korea Matsushita is not loved, since they just brought down some of their patent portfolio weight on a competitor (LG). S Korea responded with banning Matsushita products from being sold after LG complained that Matsushita's product infringed on their S Korean Patents. A brief news article
Just goes to show you that even the best companies are still competitors, and will use their patents to their advantadge.
While looking into this for a post on my blog I came across the same numbers. IBM donating 500 patents seems really lame when they got 1300 this year alone and have led the US for the PAST 12 YEARS. I know IBM is a linux friendly company, but they are still a company and they are still patent happy. Now, it could be that they are protecting themselves from other people patenting their technology but still, it is interesting. I made the analogy that IBMs release of those 500 patents is the technological equivalent of picking through their garbage: they obviouslly don't have use for it anymore.
How would IBM use its patents? How would Microsoft use its patents?
True, I dislike all patents. I'd rather have a perfect system of government where patents had a lifespan of, say, six months.
But in the real world, I approve of any method of using and abusing government and governmental power, so long as it's by somebody I like. Patents are a loophole in a sense, but loopholes are tools, and like guns or axes or computers, the user defines the tool, not the other way around.
So, patents cannot be evil any more than guns can. But Microsoft can definitely be more evil than IBM.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Anybody who works for IBM knows the thickness of the IP papers they must sign just for working for the company, and if you read the fine print, they basically own everything you can conjure up while being an active employee. With 320,000+ employees, thats a lot of ideas. BUT, most people look over the fact that IBM is one of the, if not THE biggest spender in R&D, and that alone is its biggest investment. For example, the earth simulator came out and stunned the world with its 35-TFlops of supercomuting power. IBM already had 100-TFlops (when its completed, currently its at 70-TFlops) up its sleeve with its Blue Gene supercomputer waiting right around the corner.
It's simple, IBM invests heavily in its R&D and does not jump in on marketable, fast money-making ideas that fade away as quickly as people buy into it. IBM has been innovators, and its shown by being #1 in patents for the last 11 years.
Despite the frequent publicity around Microsoft's or Amazon's frivolous patents, these two companies are not even on the list.
It's not the quantity that matters, it's quality and topic. I mean, I don't suppose anyone minds when some company developes something useful and patents the stuff. I suppose the most of the granted patents are hardware-related, which -if it's so - I can highly appreciate and have nothing against. The reason so many people complain regarding MS-related (or Amazon, and the like) submitted and/or granted patents are the sometimes even ridiculous nature of what they seem to want to patent (just rememeber "ifnot" and the like).
Eh, but most of you already know all this so you know, I just felt that I have to drop my 2c.
I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I can think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.
Donate free food here
Yesterday I noticed that a simple plastic bag had been patented. I was looking at the bag to see find it's recycling logo, and there it was. Some patent number. Now, this wasn't a fancy ziplock or super-ultra freezer bag with teflon air foils or anything. This was your regular grocery store plastic bag. Not even one with holes for handles. Just a plastic bag.