Google Acquires 1,030 Patents From IBM

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webbwbb

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Its just speculation, but it may be something they can use against Apple. Apple is moving into microprocessor architecture and suing Google partners over Android. If Google gets patents that Apple may be violating they may be able to join partners in suits and countersue over these newer patents. I essentially see it as away of protecting the Android ecosystem.
 

Silmarunya

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There was a time when a patent existed to protect an inventor from copycats or to ensure a pharmaceutical company had an incentive to research drugs with a small target market.

And then lawyers took over the world. And the high tech industry started growing. Soon, a patent became a vague legal document used as a weapon in expensive skirmishes between bitter tech moguls and their greedy legal departments.

Where is that patent reform we need so badly? We still use patents the way we used them when they were simply technical descriptions of an invention, not a vague text written in legalese that is as open to interpretation as the Bible.
 

f-14

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considering apple used to use IBM products for their products, it will be interesting to see if these patents are leased to apple, microsoft, rim, ericsson, sony, and emc. would be interesting when the lease goes up to see if they can be used as leverage, a counter or a strangle hold on them by google.
 

dalethepcman

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Apple Lawyers: "Lets make lawsuits against every handset manufacturer, even ones that supply us with processors, screens, tech, and fabrication facilities to prevent them from selling their own stuff. That way we can sell way more iDevices."

One year later... Every other company's lawyers : "Lets have lunch and combine our patent portfolios to prove Apple stole everything they currently use form us."

One month later... Apple lawyers "F@!% me!"
 

Zingam

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Why does Google have so little patents but it is still a big company? Because it is new! Because of this patent system it might be soon impossible for start up companies to exist. If it goes on like that for another decade it will become impossible to start a new business with less then several millions in cache just for patents.
 

ericburnby

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Funny, it's always the people who are the LEAST innovative who complain about patent reform. Patents don't stifle innovation - it's the exact opposite. No company will ever spend huge $$$ on R&D if there's no way for them to protect the IP they gained from all that R&D.

Do people forget where Google came from? They were a company founded on a SINGLE SOFTWARE PATENT. Without that patent they never would have gotten funding to start up their business. Now it's really funny that Google is calling for patent reform when they owe their existence to software patents.

I guess when it serves them software patents are great, but when used against them software patents are evil. Google is the biggest hypocrite in the world when talking about patent reform.

Anyone remember when the term 'Googling' in Silicon Valley was used to refer to a company that gets millions in funding with no business plan? That was the joke going around when Google received $25 million in funding based simply on an "idea" and a "software patent".
 

bobiseverywhere

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Google has memory manufactured for it's server farm's on mass. Instead of purchasing the memory they buy the chips and have they're own memory made i would bet that some of these patents have something to do with this.
 

Silmarunya

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[citation][nom]ericburnby[/nom]Funny, it's always the people who are the LEAST innovative who complain about patent reform. Patents don't stifle innovation - it's the exact opposite. No company will ever spend huge $$$ on R&D if there's no way for them to protect the IP they gained from all that R&D.Do people forget where Google came from? They were a company founded on a SINGLE SOFTWARE PATENT. Without that patent they never would have gotten funding to start up their business. Now it's really funny that Google is calling for patent reform when they owe their existence to software patents.I guess when it serves them software patents are great, but when used against them software patents are evil. Google is the biggest hypocrite in the world when talking about patent reform.Anyone remember when the term 'Googling' in Silicon Valley was used to refer to a company that gets millions in funding with no business plan? That was the joke going around when Google received $25 million in funding based simply on an "idea" and a "software patent".[/citation]

The problem is many modern software concepts are extremely vague and poorly defined. How on earth can you patent 'a way of interacting with something'?

Nobody doubts getting a patent on an AC motor or a search algorithm is a good thing. In fact, it's one of the driving forces behind progress. But the patents Apple, Google and co use in their lawsuits aren't such descriptions of an invention; they are vague descriptions nobody that are written in legalese and left open to interpretation on purpose.

Thousands upon thousands of patents owned by every major tech company aren't patents in the conventional meaning of the word: they are nothing more than meatshields for use in legal battles.
 
G

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Software patents are dumb. So are electrical engineering patents.

The idea that you can patent something like "using XML to [insert trivial task] in a [certain application]", or that you can arrange your transistors in a certain way that nobody should be allowed to do for 100 years is just mind boggling.
 

K-zon

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Well, google is getting bigger, to say, and of it is the access of many things. Within its own rights to say to aviod being suied is probably better in part of saying of purchase of some interests to help ensure say its own place of business within ideas of limited market "diminishes" . To say anyways, given that being sued may be only part of some issues. Right?

Google also i think was a collaboration effort of "build" to say or start. Why it might be concerned of such interest against most its use of say to say. Probably on the idea in which the area of purchase covers sometimes. But hard saying specifically yes, without, Googling say, "Today we've decided to buy out half of many know companies interest within product and innovation for the efforts of "Cheese grading..." , More then likely not of course, but still.
 

gregor

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[citation][nom]ericburnby[/nom]Funny, it's always the people who are the LEAST innovative who complain about patent reform. Patents don't stifle innovation - it's the exact opposite. No company will ever spend huge $$$ on R&D if there's no way for them to protect the IP they gained from all that R&D.Do people forget where Google came from? They were a company founded on a SINGLE SOFTWARE PATENT. Without that patent they never would have gotten funding to start up their business. Now it's really funny that Google is calling for patent reform when they owe their existence to software patents.I guess when it serves them software patents are great, but when used against them software patents are evil. Google is the biggest hypocrite in the world when talking about patent reform.Anyone remember when the term 'Googling' in Silicon Valley was used to refer to a company that gets millions in funding with no business plan? That was the joke going around when Google received $25 million in funding based simply on an "idea" and a "software patent".[/citation]
And of course a company that exists just to use it's patents to sue others is fostering innovation?
 

Northwestern

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[citation][nom]DjEaZy[/nom]... patents slows down innovation...[/citation]
Just about to say this.

It's not about working together to achieve anything anymore.

It's about selling shitty products to compete with the rival's other shitty products that results in a kindergarten fight in a courtroom of "HE SAID!/SHE SAID!".
 
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