You don't take a few shots in the
patent wars without gearing up for the next battle. According to a
Reuters source, Facebook just armed itself with 750 IBM patents. The library of intellectual property is said to cover a wide spectrum of technology, including semiconductor and search patents. So what's the beef? Well, Facebook could be prepping for a
classic countersuit, the promised "vigorous defense" of its News Feed, user profiles and advertising methods versus a handful of
Yahoo patents -- although it's just as likely to be bolstering its portfolio
for investors. We'll let you know how it turns out.
