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Patents Google Bought From IBM Are "Weak"

Posted by timothy on from the how-patent-lawyers-taunt-each-other dept.

holy_calamity writes "Slashdot noted in September that Google had bought 1023 patents from IBM. Now IP analytics firms IPVision says they're a 'mixed bag' of mostly unrelated patents that won't be much use in defending against competitors such as Microsoft or Apple. Patents are most useful when they are tightly linked into clusters by references, such that they cover every angle on an idea, something Google's new collection lacks."

2 of 78 comments (clear)

  1. weak? by macshit · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Er, the vast majority of patents being flung around in all the crazy control-freak corporate slap-fights we've seen recently seem to be horribly weak (of the "should never have been granted" variety). That hasn't stopped them from being flung around like monkeys do with, er, you know, and it apparently hasn't stopped other companies from being scared of them.

    And in the end, fear is the goal...

    --
    We live, as we dream -- alone....
  2. IPVision.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So.. Who's "IPVision" and why do we care what they think? For all we know they could be an industry shill looking to perpetuate the awful mess that is "IP" law. Google's made lots of enemies and they're getting in to the IP game by proxy. Because companies are turning to that avenue of attack, rather than legitimate competition.