Twitter paid IBM $36 million for patents to avoid infringement claims

Justin Kahn

Posts: 752   +6

It looks as though Twitter is finally getting into the intellectual property war game. The company purchased more than 900 patents from IBM recently, according to reports. Like many cases when companies scoop up patents in mass quantity, Twitter isn't interested in the content of the trademarks themselves as much as it is keen on protecting itself from copyright infringement claims.

By purchasing the specific patents at hand, Twitter is protecting itself from at least three different infringement claims put upon it from IBM, not to mention any future claims. Instead of going through the legal hassles of litigation and settlement, Twitter decided to just buy the patents covering the claims set against them in order to bury the issue. The deal between the microblogging giant and IBM was struck back in December but no financial details were disclosed.

Surprisingly for a company of its size, previous to the deal with IBM Twitter held only nine patents, making it extremely susceptible to copyright attacks. The company now increases its portfolio to 956 patents and 100 patents pending in the US, according to reports Twitter filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pertaining to the IBM transaction.

“We presently are involved in a number of intellectual property lawsuits, and as we face increasing competition and gain an increasingly high profile, we expect the number of patent and other intellectual property claims against us to grow,” Twitter explained in the filing. It sounds as though the company will continue to grow its patent portfolio and the IBM deal could have been to protect it from other infringement claims as well.

While this marks the first time Twitter has made a deal of this nature outside of patents acquired through the purchase of other companies, IBM on the other hand has had the most patents granted in the US for 21 consecutive years.

Permalink to story.

 
Wow, that first paragraph is a doozy. You do realize that patents have nothing to do with either trademarks or copyright infringement? Twitter bought the patents to protect themselves from lawsuits concerning patent infringement.
 
As a former ***er from nearly 40 years ago, that racket has always been a major division of ***. Hire the best and brightest new graduates, have them research and invent new things to copyright or patent, then catalog and archive them and wait for the harvest to come to market.

When Heisenberg Tubecomms or Wigged Widget takes the next new thing to market, battles it out with the competition, lives through the salad days, the off months, and the lean years, kicks and bites and scratches its way to the top, and at long last, has the defining product in the market sector, then it's time for ***'s attorneys to send the new kids an infringement notice and skim the cream off the top of the bottle.

If that somehow fails, it's time to bury them under legal motions until their stock price collapses under the weight, and their preferred investors demand hard assets or cash. Then they will welcome being assimilated into the borg subject to ***'s previously hostile takeover.

"And that's how we do it, people!"
 
"Twitter isn't interested in the content of the trademarks themselves as much"
"making it extremely susceptible to copyright attacks"

Patents are not the same as either trademarks or copyright; I.e. don't use those words interchangeably as they mean different things.
 
Didn't take IBM as the patent troll type but guess they are :/

Patents are too unorganized and stupid it should be abolished.
 
Yeah why bother with things you own, let them have it for free why the hassle, right?
What... Your way of things sounds like if you own the Wireless Patent then you Instantly own the rights to sue everyone who uses it, Or am I forgetting wireless was invented just 30yrs ago and the inventor is still alive suing people... oh wait its not the inventor just some greedy banker sorry my mistake ye he invented wireless.
 
What... Your way of things sounds like if you own the Wireless Patent then you Instantly own the rights to sue everyone who uses it, Or am I forgetting wireless was invented just 30yrs ago and the inventor is still alive suing people... oh wait its not the inventor just some greedy banker sorry my mistake ye he invented wireless.

If he did invent and patent it he is in his right to demand people for payment over usage of his technology, you and I and the rest of the world want it or not, calling him "troll" for doing it is like calling you a troll for collecting your salary, dumb enough.
 
So just because apple thinks they made the word apple and the a curve and a few other technologies they didnt make but got the patents too that they are allowed to sue others for money just because their product also has a curve and technologies they patented but didnt actually invent or have any products with.

If so then I am OK to patent birth, oxygen, walking, running, living and then sue everyone for giving birth and breathing as well as walking, running and plain living EVEN tho I didnt invent those things I can still patent and sue others because I own the patent to them.

Get ready because I will get those patents and sue you $100 for every day you spent living then another $100 for breathing oxygen hope your finances are ready.
 
Be my guest and go patent birth, oxygen, walking, running and living, you do know you have to actually make something of your own, and then go sue everyone.

As said, you and I or the rest of the world like it or not, it's how it works, so comming here to tell me how wrong my line of thought is won't make any difference, you are only wasting your time, Jack A.
 
Be my guest and go patent birth, oxygen, walking, running and living, you do know you have to actually make something of your own, and then go sue everyone.

As said, you and I or the rest of the world like it or not, it's how it works, so comming here to tell me how wrong my line of thought is won't make any difference, you are only wasting your time, Jack A.

You are actually wrong you dont have to make something you own take apple for example they were given patents to stuff they had nothing to do with and guess what companies exist to simply buy patents and sue other companies so clearly you are wrong.

Just because you have the patents to something doesnt mean you invented it or have anything to do with that patent hence why I could patent and own birth, oxygen, walking, running, living.

The Patent system is soo stupid its beyond a joke, giving patents to companies that dont actually have anything to do with them and allowing patent trolls to exist and sue people.
 
Ok then, go buy patents and sue everyone, and complain how wrong the system is and keep bitching... it's of no use to keep on trying to argue this with you. Also, when you patent breathing, oxygen, birthing come at my doorstep and bite me.

Edit: You are arguing just for the sake of complaining, you are not adding anything, you keep on going around the same thing how everyone is a "patent troll" and how everything is messed up, when you realize you can't change a thing and that is how things work for a reason you will feel better about yourself, if you continue to claim how you will patent oxygen well the bite me offer is still up.
 
Last edited:
Back