IBM, patents, wikis...

IBM, like many similar companies, is frustrated with the long patent process in the US. (IBM is the nation's largest patent holder.) The Company will begin to publish its patent filings on the Web for public review. "It also asserts that so-called business methods alone — broad descriptions of ideas, without technical specifics — should not be patentable."

"I.B.M. used Internet collaboration to develop its new patent policy. More than 50 patent and policy experts from the United States, Europe, Japan and China exchanged views for two months in May and June on a wiki, an online site that can be added to and edited collectively. The resulting document is posted on www.ibm.com/gio/ip. "

This has many implications:

• for patents and the US patent process, which is a long one and not suitable for technology companies.
• legal issues
• competition will be able to see its patents immediately
• opens up their technology to a large community that will be able to work with it and improve it.

I wonder what the long-term ramifications of this policy are. I think that it's innovative of IBM to take this move and shows the confidence that the company has in its product and brand - or its naiveté that it can't be improved upon, made better and make their brand less strong.

Here's a link to the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/26/technology/26patent.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin