IBM tops US patent charts again

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 14 January 2010 08:10

IT Industry - Strategy

For the seventeenth year running, IBM has received more US patents than any other company.

During 2009, IBN was granted 4914 US patents. As company officials pointed out, that's nearly four times as many as HP (1273), and more than Microsoft, HP, Oracle, Apple, Accenture and Google combined.

The only company to come close was Samsung, with 3611 patents granted.

2009 was the seventeenth consecutive year that IBM has received the most US patents.

IBM also published almost 4000 technical inventions during the year, allowing their use by others and as 'prior art' to defend against patent claims.

The company is now offering invention and patent portfolio management services to customers.

"We are making our IP know-how and patent management software available because clients have increasingly approached IBM for insight into how to effectively establish and manage their own patent and IP portfolios," said Kevin Reardon, general manager of intellectual property and vice president of research business development for IBM.

"This approach is consistent with our commitment to working with others to encourage an environment of collaboration and cooperation in the patent and intellectual property arena," he added.

IBM will not be offering legal advice as part of this service.