I'm of two minds about this one, reported by our buds at CNet. IBM has achieved the distinction of being awarded more patents than anybody else (3,651) by a large margin (#2 was Samsung with 2,453), for the 14th year running.

On the one hand, this is very impressive. There are probably dozens of those patents beneath my fingers right now as I type on my T43, and the world is probably better for them. Firms like IBM are picking up the slack left by [the US] Government backing away from the kind of pure research that brought us the space program. (You know, the one that still flies 1979 ships into orbit and no farther?)

On the other hand, as Roger has blogged previously, software patents can smother innovation in its crib. Patents and open source are often at odds. This is an unstable situation that needs reform sooner or later. As CNet notes, even Big Blue recognizes that:

The latest modest-scale patent reform plan IBM is involved in is an online meeting called the Inventors' Forum where smaller companies or individual inventors, such as Super Soaker patent holder Lonnie Johnson, can have their say. The company plans to announce the forum Wednesday.

I'll take a wait and see on this, unless IBM has patented that, too.

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A terrible groaning noise was heard throughout the CES show in Las Vegas today, signaling the annual mating of dinosuars. Microsoft and Ford inflated their throat sacs and danced the dance by announcing that they have spawned "sync," a software platform for cars that allows voice-activated control of cell phones and music players. Apparently, neither firm has heard of Bluetooth. As the BBC reports,

The agreement is part of a constant quest by Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, for fresh markets beyond the home and office computer ones which it dominates. Ford, meanwhile, hopes that new technology will help it solve the problem of dwindling market share even in its home US market. ... The Sync system develops technology Microsoft already provides to carmaker Fiat under a similar deal outside the US.

In other news, FIAT announced a name change to RIAB, for "Reboot It Again, Bill."

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