Slashdot is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
Businesses Patents Facebook IBM The Courts Yahoo! Your Rights Online

Facebook Buys 750 IBM Patents 46

eldavojohn writes "Considering IBM's portfolio gained 6,180 last year alone, it's not a huge number. But after a dispute with Yahoo a couple weeks ago, Facebook has purchased 750 patents from IBM. That's over thirteen times the 56 they were reportedly holding. The humorous rumor is that Yahoo might have been licensing these patents from IBM. If you can't beat 'em, buy the patents they're licensing from another company. Another rumor is that Facebook might be just getting started in their bid to expand their patent portfolio (video). No word yet whether the purchased patents directly pertain to Yahoo's infringement claims on messaging, privacy controls, advertising, customization and social networking."
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Facebook Buys 750 IBM Patents

Comments Filter:
  • by Surt ( 22457 ) on Friday March 23, 2012 @05:27PM (#39456499) Homepage Journal

    IBM doesn't get all that many software patents. Theirs are mostly hardware innovations.

  • by bws111 ( 1216812 ) on Friday March 23, 2012 @08:27PM (#39457881)

    You will notice that nowhere in that article does it actually say that IBM did sue, threaten to sue, or even send a cease and desist letter to anyone. In fact, all IBM said was that they would not license their software to run on TurboHercules. That some paranoid guy interpreted that as IBM 'threatening' him, well, that is really not IBM's problem.

    As for the rest of your little rant: so what? If you need full performance of the machine, you pay for it. If you don't, you don't. Where, exactly, is the 'scam'? And if you think a mainframe provides the same value as off-the-shelf PC hardware, well, then there is really no point in trying to have an intelligent discussion with you. And BTW, the processors run at >5GHz.

The universe is an island, surrounded by whatever it is that surrounds universes.

Working...