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Why would IBM possibly want to have it's own AI fight IBM? Or will they put special locks in that block IBM from being read?

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IBM does happen to have quite a lot of patents to counter with. Having been in business for 100+ years tends to do that.

Patents don't last 100 years. Are IBM's 50,000 patents all current?

They actually have a significant interest in fighting the trolls. They have a LOT of legit patents, and little to gain by trolling.

Go Watson!

I think virmundi is referring to the now-famous story of IBM using their huge patent arsenal to attack companies in the 1980s:

'An awkward silence ensued. The blue suits did not even confer among themselves. They just sat there, stonelike. Finally, the chief suit responded. "OK," he said, "maybe you don't infringe these seven patents. But we have 10,000 U.S. patents. Do you really want us to go back to Armonk [IBM headquarters in New York] and find seven patents you do infringe? Or do you want to make this easy and just pay us $20 million?"'

http://members.forbes.com/asap/2002/0624/044.html

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