08.31.17
IBM Helps a Microsoft-Connected Patent Troll Create Another Trolling Branch, Known as Finjan Blue
Photo source (modified slightly): The 10 Most Powerful Women in Technology Today
Summary: The parasite known as Finjan spends money buying some more patents in order to expand the breadth of its patent shakedown campaign — a ruinous campaign which drains hundreds of millions of dollars out of the economy
IBM is doing a great disservice to Free software and to GNU/Linux. In fact, it’s doing a disservice to all software developers (everywhere in the world). As we have been showing many times this year, with its patent policies and (software) patent lobbying — not to mention patent lawsuits — IBM made it clear that it’s a pariah company hellbent/determined to extract money from rivals at any cost (even immeasurable cost to its image).
“So, while Microsoft tells us that it “loves Linux” expect this troll which it once funded to sue everyone who has some security products (or extract settlement money without ever announcing it).”Earlier this month we wrote at least three articles about Finjan Holdings’ connections to Microsoft and accelerating campaign of patent lawsuits against Microsoft’s rivals. Well, days ago it announced “Finjan Blue, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Finjan Holdings” (Delaware is where many patent lawsuits get filed).
What’s it all about? Well, IBM has just been feeding a notorious patent troll that is connected to Microsoft, in order to help the troll go preying on a lot of companies, using patents that aren’t even legitimate (if properly assessed). Finjan isn’t just suing; it’s also blackmailing and extorting an unknown number of companies out there. We have been writing about this for over half a decade. Here is how IAM put it earlier today:
It may be a depressed market for patent assets generally, but Finjan’s recent deal with IBM seemingly bucks that trend. Big Blue has agreed to hand over 25 grants and 16 applications to the cyber security business and in return will receive $2 million upfront and a further $6.5 million over a five-year period – that’s an overall price per patent of more than $200,000, which is a decent return by any standard.
In terms of size, though, the transaction pales in comparison with the 4,000 former Kodak patents that Dominion Harbor picked up from Intellectual Ventures or the stockpile of 6,000 Nokia assets (and before that Alcatel Lucent) that is currently being hawked in the market.
So, while Microsoft tells us that it “loves Linux” expect this troll which it once funded to sue everyone who has some security products (or extract settlement money without ever announcing it). A lot of security products are based on BSD or GNU/Linux.
Why does IBM help this? Is IBM really that desperate? This is more of the pattern we have been seeing from IBM. It’s like there is no moral compass left at that company. █
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