If you're going for the next three US companies in your lede, you meant Microsoft (5), Qualcomm (7), and Google (8). Apple didn't even crack the top ten.
IBM: Hey, Intel and pals. Look on our massive patent pile and despair
IBM has once again been crowned the leader of the annual patents list, way ahead of US tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Apple. It's the 22nd year in a row that Big Blue has led the pack with its patent stash, which a company can use as a pile of competitive and anticompetitive weapons in the software world. Big Blue …
COMMENTS
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Monday 12th January 2015 17:54 GMT Anonymous Coward
Not entirely unexpected.
Their R&D is very tightly coupled to product. This generates "useful" patents which are related to product which are rather unsurprisingly few in numbers. As a result every time Apple comes up with something really new it ends up acquiring 3rd party IPR from somewhere. For example a lot of othe original iPhone UI patents can be traced to IPR which was originally developed by BT labs and several other companies.
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Monday 12th January 2015 17:47 GMT JassMan
Never mind the quality, feel the width.
The real question is not how many they have filed, but how many are useful for improving life on this rock. Are they patents which can actually be implemented to create something useful, or are they descriptions of prior art intended to stop other corps with a lot of lawyers from suing.
Ok, there was the (in)famous case of some fruity corporation making a load of dosh from round corners but that was a design so obvious that the patent should never have been granted in the first place, and they certainly shouldn't have been given damages for infringement. When all is said and done, at the microscopic level everything has round corners. Go smaller and everything has raggedy corners.
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Monday 12th January 2015 18:41 GMT Leeroy
Real world value.
Is it just me or are these patents just going to be used to protect their own arses from the competition ? I have a great idea every 7 seconds on average, I have no doubt that some are original but I really don't think I could enforce royalties every time a couple tries reverse doggy banana splash hoopla. I would explain but it's (not) currently under review by the patient office.
Also... If anyone has any prior art I need a pic or it didn't happen.