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IBM Breaks Patent Record, Wants Reform

Posted by kdawson on from the I-got-mine-Jack dept.

An anonymous reader writes "IBM set the record for most patents granted in a year for 2006. At the same time, IBM points out that small companies earn more patents per capita than larger enterprises and pushes for reform to address shortcomings in the process of patenting business methods: 'The prevalence of patent applications that are of low quality or poorly written have led to backlogs of historic proportions, and the granting of patents protecting ideas that are not new, are overly broad, or obvious.' And the company has been committing itself to a new patent policy: 'Key tenets of the policy are that patent quality is the responsibility of the applicant; that patent applications should be open to public examination and that patent ownership should be transparent; and that business methods without technical content should not be patentable.'"

7 of 130 comments (clear)

  1. Too bad - I already patented patent reform by TheWoozle · · Score: 2, Funny

    Poor IBM.

    I have an idea though: everyone will drop all their "bad" patents at the same time. On the count of 3. Ready? 1...2...

    --
    Insisting on "correct" English is like saying that there is only one, definitive recipe for chili.
  2. Ability to revoke patents?-Court now in session. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Yes I can see it now. Some kind of web forum populated by the technically minded with veto power. Their symbol will be a forward leaning line with a dot after it. There will be a background process that periodically sweeps the forum to get rid of "special interest" trolls.

  3. Patent Quality Index by schwaang · · Score: 3, Funny
    The final initiative is the Patent Quality Index which seeks to define a quantitative metric for the quality of patents.

    The article failed to mention that the metric will be a web-based distributed evaluation system, in which nerds in basements will view each patent and score them either "hot or not".
    1. Re:Patent Quality Index by shawnap · · Score: 2, Funny

      Mod patent up!

  4. We can't do that! by WebCowboy · · Score: 2, Funny

    everyone will drop all their "bad" patents at the same time.

    If everyone did that, the incredible mass of patent paperwork impacting the earth's surface simultaneously would produce a force so great as to shift the orbit of the planet! If you think CO2 causes climate change, wait'll you see what THAT would do!

  5. IBM is smart-Free property by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Agreed. Now if you'll excuse me I'll be in the bedroom hacking my DirectTV box to get free programming. Hey don't give me that look! The paying customers will make certain everything stays afloat.

  6. What a travesty. by hlomas · · Score: 2, Funny

    I blame theoretical physics for sapping the patent office of its brightest.