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IBM Locking Up Lots of Cloud Computing Patents

Posted by Soulskill on from the bulking-up-before-a-fight dept.

dkatana writes: In an article for InformationWeek Charles Babcock notes that IBM has been hoarding patents on every aspect of cloud computing. They've secured about 1,200 in the past 18 months, including ~400 so far this year. "For those who conceive of the cloud as an environment based on public standards with many shared elements, the grant of these patents isn't entirely reassuring." Babcock says, and he adds: "Whatever the intent, these patents illustrate how the cloud, even though it's conceived of as a shared environment following public standards, may be subject to some of the same intellectual property disputes and patent trolling as earlier, more directly proprietary environments."

9 of 70 comments (clear)

  1. If you can't beat 'em... by cb88 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Become SCO!

    1. Re:If you can't beat 'em... by AchilleTalon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Not exactly. Given the threat the patent trolls represents, it is of good advice for a company to patent as much as possible its own contributions and inventions in order to not have to throw the shareholders' money at lawsuits initiated by the patent trolls companies. If you were the IBM CEO you wouldn't do otherwise. It may appear outrageous, but the first responsability of the CEO is to protect the money of the shareholders and make it profitable. Clearly, getting the patents will protect the shareholders' money.

      --
      Achille Talon
      Hop!
    2. Re:If you can't beat 'em... by AchilleTalon · · Score: 4, Informative

      It seems you have missed the point. You patent to avoid the patent trolls to sue you claiming a patent on a thing you neglected to patent. Even if at the end you may win, you will throw a lot of money at this useless lawsuit. So, to avoid it in first place, you are better to patent everything you can.

      --
      Achille Talon
      Hop!
    3. Re:If you can't beat 'em... by LessThanObvious · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This is why none of this should be patent eligible. It's harmful to allow software to be patented especially when the patent is overly broad and general in it's language. It's harmful to allow any configuration of systems and software to be patented. The USPTO is completely incapable of telling the difference between what's patent worthy and what's bullshit in these areas.

    4. Re:If you can't beat 'em... by bws111 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      So much wrong here it is hard to know where to start.

      Legacy? POWER 8 was released later year. Z13 was released 6 months ago. Z13 is a brand new design.

      As for that post you linked to, let's just say the writer is an idiot. First and foremost, you can not compare MIPS numbers between two different architectures. Ever. And you can't compare MIPS numbers between two different workloads. Ever. But this bozo attempted to do just that.

      Secondly, NOBODY buys the 26 MIPS model for production use. They buy it as a hot backup. By buying that model, they save a ton on both hardware and software costs, but can convert it to a full speed machine, about 150x faster, in seconds should they need to transfer workload from a primary machine. But this idiot tried to use it for productive use, and complained that it was slow. Duh.

      Lastly, he complains about the disk configuration, but doesn't seem to have a clue how to set it up. All current DASD that supports CKD mode (max 9GB disk size) also supports SCSI mode. But for some bizarre reason he configures it as CKD over FICON, then complains about it. If he had a brain he would configure it as SCSI over FCP, and have up to 2TB images, which work just fine with z/VM and Linux.

  2. This cloud by SirAudioMan · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...will eventually crash and burn. Sure it's convenient, powerful and cheap, but inherent with major security risks. If I were a company, there is no way in hell I would ever deliberately host or put anything on the cloud. I don't care how 'secure' things are, there are way to many attack vectors and unknown vulnerabilities. It's only going to get worse before people start to see if for what it truly is - dangerous!

  3. the cloud is just a computer by turkeydance · · Score: 3, Insightful

    and it's not yours.

  4. They beat themselves by fyngyrz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    the first responsability of the CEO is to protect the money of the shareholders and make it profitable

    Exactly right. Add just a smidgen of shortsightedness and some pressure from the board, and you have the perfect storm of next-quarter-itis.

    After a few quarters like that, the CEO takes off for the next company, as the company tries to put out the fires they left behind them -- fired experts, cheapened and crippled products, new hires that don't know much about the domain, insufficiently-tested but out-the-door-anyway products...

    Yeah, responsibility to the shareholders. Which means: Short term thinking and cannibalistic profiteering. That's the US corporate mantra, right there.

    --
    I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
  5. "public standards"? by darkain · · Score: 4, Insightful

    since when the hell is "the cloud" based around "public standards"!?!?!? Each and every major vendor's offerings are pretty much unique and proprietary. vSphere isnt EC2 isnt SmartOS isnt KVM isnt HyperV isnt OpenCompute. Some of these are more open than others while some are entirely closed systems.