Google snaps up 1,030 patents from IBM
by Steven Mostyn - Aug 1 2011, 02:36
Cha-ching! Image: Google.
Continuing its focused march towards complete and utter world dominance, technology titan Google Inc. has purchased no less than 1,030 patents from computing powerhouse IBM.
California-based Google has not officially explained its reasoning for the sudden splurge, but SEO by the Sea reports that many of the IP acquisitions are directly related to the search industry.
These include ‘System and Methods’ connected to Using Data Mining Prediction Methodology, Automatic Discovery of Terms in a Document, Web-Based Querying, and Imbedding Hyperlinked Language Grammar Notation in a ‘Literate’ Programming Environment.
Looking beyond aspects likely to strengthen Google’s positioning in the search market, it has also snapped up patents linked with computing infrastructure, relational databases, and object oriented programming.
It is believed that Google’s spending spree is an attempt to bolster its defences as it faces potentially messy legal battles across a raft of patent lawsuits.
“Some of these lawsuits have been filed by people or companies that have never actually created anything,” commented Google senior vice president and general counsel Kent Walker in a recent blog post.
“Others are motivated by a desire to block competing products or profit from the success of a rival’s new technology,” he added.
Financial details covering the acquisitions have not been divulged.
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