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Fri, Oct 5, 2007 10:44 EDT

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Posted by: Stephanie Overby in News Topic: Partner/Vendor ManagementBlog: Talent Show
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This just in: IBM has caved.
(For some background, see my initial post: IBM Tries to Patent Offshoring.)
Bob Sutor, IBM's vice president of open source and standards, is helping to spread the word for his colleagues in the presumably overworked intellectual property division:
"IBM has put into the public domain and withdrawn its application for patent number US2007/0162321 - Outsourcing of Services. This patent application covers analyzing work flows, skills, economic costs, etc. Here’s why we are withdrawing it — IBM adopted a new policy a year ago to sharply reduce business method patent filings and instead stress significant technical content in its patents. Even though the patent application in question was filed eight months before the policy took effect in September, 2006, had the policy been in place at the time, IBM would not have filed the application. We’re glad the community pointed this application out so IBM could take swift action."
Now, how about that patent on benchmarking?
Great discussion Stephanie. I think Big Blue has pushed it too far this time, hence their decision to back off. They must have been aspired by the recent win over Amazon that allegedly infringed IBM's 18-year-old patent. It looks like suing a company does not cut it anymore for IBM, this time they decided to sue the whole outsourcing industry.
It is a commonly accepted fact that patents in high tech are losing their primary purpose to protect inventors and get increasingly converted into a lawsuit device.