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Singling out IBM and Microsoft is a bit disingenuous. IBM seems to be the vocal subject in the article but there are far more companies behind the opposition as

Singling out IBM and Microsoft is a bit disingenuous. IBM seems to be the vocal subject in the article but there are far more companies behind the opposition as shown here: http://images.politico.com/global/2013/09/22/final_-_letter_opposing_cbm_expansion_2013-09-c.html http://images.politico.com/global/2013/09/22/final_-_letter_... The list: 3M ActiveVideo Networks, Inc. Adobe Systems Advanced Technology Ventures Allison Transmission, Inc. Architecture Technology Corporation Beckman Coulter, Inc. BGC Partners, Inc. Bi-Level Technologies Biotechnology Industry Organization Boston Scientific Brash Insight Corp. BSA - The Software Alliance Cabochon, Inc. California Healthcare Institute (CHI) Cantor Fitzgerald L.P. Caterpillar, Inc. Ciencia, Inc. Cleveland Medical Devices Inc. Colorado Technology Consultants CONNECT Cotera Inc. The Cummins Allison Corporation Dolby Laboratories Domain Associates Donohue Consulting, Inc. The Dow Chemical Company DR Systems, Inc. DuPont Eatoni Ergonomics, Inc. Eli Lilly & Company Embedded Systems LLC Entrepreneurs for Growth Entropic Communications, Inc. ExploraMed Development, LLC Fairchild Semiconductor Fairfield Crystal Technology Fallbrook Technologies Inc. Flocel Inc. Forsight Labs ForSight VISION4, Inc. Foundry Newco XII, Inc. (d/b/a Twelve) Freescale Semiconductor GearMax USA Ltd. General Electric General Nanotechnology LLC Global Network Computers Great Lakes Neuro Technologies Inc. Holaira, Inc. IBM IEEE-USA Illinois Tool Works Inc. Innovation Alliance Inogen, Inc. Insight Legal Interknowlogy Inventors Network of the Capital Area IP Advocate IP Pipeline Consulting, LLC Irwin Research & Development, Inc. eptember 19, 2013 Johnson & Johnson Karbonique, Inc. KeepSight LLC Kovogen, LLC Lauder Partners, LLC Licensing Executives Society (USA & Canada), Inc. Lightstone Ventures MediaFriends, Inc. Medical Device Manufacturers Association MH Systems, Inc. Micron Technologies Microsoft Miramar Labs, Inc. Morgenthaler Ventures-Life Sciences National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Neodyne Biosciences, Inc. NeoTract, Inc. NeuroPace, Inc. NeuroWave Systems Inc. Nevro Corp. NuGEN Technologies, Inc. NuVasive, Inc. OL2, Inc. (OnLive) Orbital Research Inc. Patent Office Professional Association Power Auctions LLC Precision Combustion PreEmptive Solutions Procter & Gamble Prometheus Research, LLC Qualcomm Rearden Companies, LLC Restoration Robotics, Inc. Sapheon, Inc. Software Partners LLC Soleon Robotics LLC Tessera The Foundry LLC TM Technologies, Inc. Trading Technologies U.S. Business and Industry Council Vibrynt, Inc. Xerox Corporation

sheetjs 13y ago
According to the article, IBM and Microsoft are notable for their portfolio size and lobbying budgets: > And few firms have larger software patent portfolios than Microsoft and IBM. These companies, which also happen to have two of the software industry's largest lobbying budgets, have been leading voices against the expansion of the CBM program. I can believe that IBM does far more software patent lobbying than most of the firms whose core products are not directly software related
- mathattack 13y ago
  I can believe that IBM does far more software patent lobbying than most of the firms whose core products are not directly software related This is in part because they have a heavy patent culture, perhaps due to their legacy as a machines company.
  - Nursie 13y ago
    The culture is there because they make serious money from licensing. Also so if anyone comes after them for anything patent related then big blue have effectively got the nuclear option at their disposal and can wipe the aggressor off the map.
- shooper 13y ago
  >According to the article, IBM and Microsoft are notable for their portfolio size and lobbying budgets This is what tech companies spent in Q3 2013, maybe someone else can post IBM's stats but Microsoft's spending doesn't look all that high to me. Google 3.4M Microsoft 2.2M Facebook 1.7M Apple 0.97M Amazon 0.78M I think the real story is how cheap the lobbying costs are. What I completely fail to understand with all the Snowden revelations and stories like this is that Silicon Valley tech folks have enormous salaries and high disposable income. If they would actually contribute some of that to a PAC or to the EFF, it would be way more productive than sitting in Starbucks sipping a $5 latte and posting "Not going to get the Xbox from M$. Getting a PS4 for $400 + games for $60 each instead! That's going to teach them! And Bill Gates sucks despite helping the poorest people in Africa and India!" from their latest MacBook or iPad Air on HN articles such as these(you can see those posts below). I guess gathering HN karma feels better and is cheaper than actually trying to make a real difference on issues that people seem to write emotional posts about. Having seen a lot of such issues and discussions from my Slashdot days, my prediction is that nothing will come out of it except a lot of hot air discussion.

sheetjs 13y ago

According to the article, IBM and Microsoft are notable for their portfolio size and lobbying budgets: > And few firms have larger software patent portfolios than Microsoft and IBM. These companies, which also happen to have two of the software industry's largest lobbying budgets, have been leading voices against the expansion of the CBM program. I can believe that IBM does far more software patent lobbying than most of the firms whose core products are not directly software related

mathattack 13y ago
I can believe that IBM does far more software patent lobbying than most of the firms whose core products are not directly software related This is in part because they have a heavy patent culture, perhaps due to their legacy as a machines company.
- Nursie 13y ago
  The culture is there because they make serious money from licensing. Also so if anyone comes after them for anything patent related then big blue have effectively got the nuclear option at their disposal and can wipe the aggressor off the map.
shooper 13y ago
>According to the article, IBM and Microsoft are notable for their portfolio size and lobbying budgets This is what tech companies spent in Q3 2013, maybe someone else can post IBM's stats but Microsoft's spending doesn't look all that high to me. Google 3.4M Microsoft 2.2M Facebook 1.7M Apple 0.97M Amazon 0.78M I think the real story is how cheap the lobbying costs are. What I completely fail to understand with all the Snowden revelations and stories like this is that Silicon Valley tech folks have enormous salaries and high disposable income. If they would actually contribute some of that to a PAC or to the EFF, it would be way more productive than sitting in Starbucks sipping a $5 latte and posting "Not going to get the Xbox from M$. Getting a PS4 for $400 + games for $60 each instead! That's going to teach them! And Bill Gates sucks despite helping the poorest people in Africa and India!" from their latest MacBook or iPad Air on HN articles such as these(you can see those posts below). I guess gathering HN karma feels better and is cheaper than actually trying to make a real difference on issues that people seem to write emotional posts about. Having seen a lot of such issues and discussions from my Slashdot days, my prediction is that nothing will come out of it except a lot of hot air discussion.