IBM Sets Patent Record

Announces the "Inventors' Forum" to Collaborate With Small and Mid-Size Enterprises

IBM announced today that it will develop and host the "Inventors' Forum," an online initiative to share and debate ideas on how smaller enterprises view patent systems and can contribute to reform efforts such as improved patent quality.

IBM made the announcement as IFI Claims released the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) annual list of the top patentees. With 3,621, IBM surpassed its own record and earned more U.S. patents than any other company for the fourteenth consecutive year, exceeding the next closest patentee by 1,170.

A number of individuals and small and mid-sized companies have already agreed to participate in the forum, including inventor Lonnie Johnson, patent holder of many inventions in thermodynamics and best known as the inventor of the Super Soaker® water gun. The company also has reached out to venture capitalists and others who play a role in the evolution of smaller businesses, to join the forum in the second quarter of the year and share their views on the issues affecting their participation in the intellectual property marketplace. IBM believes this dialog with a group whose needs often are underserved can help accelerate successful patent reform efforts.

"Meaningful patent reform must address the needs of all constituents. This Inventors' Forum can help accelerate patent reform efforts by bringing a diverse spectrum of opinions together to collaboratively develop solutions for a robust intellectual property marketplace," said Herbert Wamsley, executive director of the Washington, DC-based Intellectual Property Owners Association.

With companies and governments focused on innovation to create economic growth, the number of patent applications from individuals and companies of all sizes is skyrocketing. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small companies earn nearly 15 times the number of patents per employee as large enterprises. Patents have become a principal means of establishing value for the creators and users of knowledge-based assets. As vital as patents are to large companies such as IBM, they are just as vital to smaller entities whose businesses or aspirations are built around a smaller number of patents.

"Smaller companies long have been the 'silent majority' in the invention community," said Andy Gibbs, CEO of PatentCafe, a publisher of IP management software solutions. "The sheer number of patents they generate obscures the fact that they do not have a means to actually collaborate and participate with one voice in the invention system. The Inventors' Forum will empower these companies to voice their ideas for improving the patent system and brainstorm with peers around the world."

These small companies often lack the resources to help them effectively and productively navigate the process and rules for obtaining a patent, maintaining ownership, and then converting patents into marketable products and services. In addition, because individual inventors and small business are a heterogeneous group in geography, technology and industry, there are few opportunities for them to collaborate on these and other IP interests and issues.

"With individuals and smaller companies comprising a significant percentage of the invention that occurs around the world, it is important that we provide a forum to understand their concerns and issues if we want to improve the overall health of our patent systems," said John E. Kelly III, IBM senior vice president of Technology and Intellectual Property. "The goal of this initiative is to enable representatives of a broad segment of the invention community to voice new ideas for improving how they participate in the system and become part of the solution to the challenges our patent systems face" - IBM.