Rediff Logo
 Money
Line
Channels: Astrology | Broadband | Chat | Contests | E-cards | Money | Movies | Romance | Search | Weather | Wedding
                 Women
Partner Channels: Auctions | Auto | Bill Pay | Jobs | Lifestyle | TechJobs | Technology | Travel
Line
Home > Money > Business Headlines > Report
January 23, 2001 		Feedback  
  Money Matters

 -  Business Special
 -  Business Headlines
 -  Corporate Headlines
 -  Columns
 -  IPO Center
 -  Message Boards
 -  Mutual Funds
 -  Personal Finance
 -  Stocks
 -  Tutorials
 -  Search rediff

    
      

 
 Search the Internet
         Tips
 Sites: Finance, Investment
E-Mail this report to a friend
Print this page

IBM tops US patents' list

Our Correspondent in Bombay

For the eighth consecutive year, IBM was awarded maximum number of US patents in 2000, with a record of 2,886 issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

IBM topped the next closest company by more than 850 patents. A media release by IBM says that the company's number of patents surpassed the combined total of patents awarded to eight of its largest competitors- Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Sun, Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, Oracle and EMC.

The results were reported last week by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, which compiles the CLAIMS patent database and annually reports the number of US patents issued to companies.

"In an industry driven by innovation, patent leadership demonstrates a commitment to developing technologies that benefit our customers and fuel IBM's growth," says Nicholas M Donofrio, senior vice president, Corporate Technology and Manufacturing. "The creativity of our technical teams is helping push the industry in new directions that are determining the next steps in e-business."

Technology breakthroughs were patented in critical areas of IBM's business during 2000 with nearly 1,000 patents awarded for software, about 1,000 for microelectronics and 400 for storage technologies.

IBM's patent leadership is a direct result of the company's continued investment in research and development, with focus on innovative technologies and bringing those technologies to market quickly.

According to Donofrio, one third of the technologies IBM patented in 2000 are already in the marketplace and many more will reach the market in 2001. Further, IBM's total intellectual property portfolio again generated more than $1 billion in licensing royalties in 2000.

IBM holds nearly 34,000 patents worldwide, including about 19,000 in the US. In addition, the company is one of the largest non-European patent holders in Europe. It is also one of the largest non-Japanese patent holders in Japan.

Money

Business News

Tell us what you think of this report