IBM tops in US patents for 17th year

NEW DELHI, INDIA: International Business Machines (IBM) today announced that it received 4,914 U.S. patents in 2009, marking the 17th consecutive year it has topped the list of the world’s most inventive companies.

IBM also announced that, for the first time, it will offer its invention know-how and patent portfolio management software to clients seeking to enhance their intellectual property (IP) management capabilities in support of innovation-based growth strategies.

Samsung got 3,611 patents while Microsoft came third with 2,906, IBM said in a press release.

IBM’s know-how and patent management software can help innovative companies effectively evaluate their patent portfolios, identify new patent opportunities, and more closely align their business and IP strategies, the release added.

IBM said its 2009 patent total nearly quadrupled Hewlett-Packard’s and exceeded the combined issuances of Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, Apple, Accenture and Google.

IBM has also published almost 4,000 technical inventions in 2009, instead of seeking patent protection, thereby making the inventions freely available to others, the release added. IBM released these inventions through publication as part of its commitment to improving patent quality.

“The U.S. patent numbers reflect IBM’s continued leadership as the world’s premier innovative industrial organization,” said Guruduth Banavar, director, IBM Research – India and chief technologist, IBM India/South Asia.

“IBM has a strong commitment to creating a collaborative and open environment in the patent and intellectual property arena. The availability of IBM's know-how and software will help our customers establish and manage their patent and IP portfolios more effectively,” he added.