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IBM Tops "Most Patents List" For 19th Straight Year
bednarz writes "IBM retained its patent crown for 2011, topping the list of patent winners for the 19th year in a row. The only other U.S. company to make the top 10, Microsoft, fell from third place to sixth place, according to IFI Claims Patent Services' list of the top 50 U.S. patent assignees. HP and Intel fell out of the top 10 and landed 14th and 16th, respectively. Apple moved up to No. 39 after breaking into the top 50 for the first time last year. Asian firms account for 25 of the top 50, and U.S. firms hold 17 slots."
If you compare the breadth of operation by Samsung and that of Apple, it's easy to see that Samsung has its fingers in a lot more pies, and it would be surprising if they didn't file more patents than Apple. It might be surprising if they filed more about tablets than Apple, though.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
If there are many more like this one:
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/01/10/1450255/ibm-snags-patent-on-half-day-off-of-work-notifications
then color me unimpressed.
Next up - IBM patents starting fire by rubbing sticks together.
I guess I don't follow this closely enough, but was anyone else surprised to see Hon Hai with more patents than Apple? For those who don't know, Hon Hai, aka Foxconn, is Apple's primary manufacturing partner.
I guess I don't understand. Didn't Samsung just pass Apple as the largest smartphone company. According to Wikipedia, Samsung is the largest IT company, 2nd largest shipbuilder, 35th and 72nd largest construction companies (two different subsidiaries), 14th largest insurance company, and 19th largest advertising agency in the world. There is a lot there to patent. As for enforcement, are you talking about how they were lax with enforcement with Apple until sued? Most companies will look the other way on a small patent license fee for 6 billion dollars in business. Few companies will look the other way when a company sues them. Patents don't work like trademarks, though, so its Samsung's choice.
If you compare the breadth of operation by Samsung and that of Apple, it's easy to see that Samsung has its fingers in a lot more pies, and it would be surprising if they didn't file more patents than Apple. It might be surprising if they filed more about tablets than Apple, though.
Samsung also has tons of patents on Real Things, not just software and device design. They do fundamental research into a lot of chemical and physical processes that feed into their display business, for instance. They patent methods and materials based on that research.
"I zero-index my hamsters" - Willtor (147206)
BusinessWeek: "Everyone knows that if they attempt to bring their patent portfolio against us that they will be met with an equal and opposite force -- and it will be formidable," [IBM Chief Patent Counsel] Schecter said.