Owner of one of the largest patent holdings on the planet, IBM announced the release of its entire portfolio for free use in the development of technologies that help in the diagnosis, prevention, containment, or treatment of the new coronavirus. The measure includes ownership records in fields such as artificial intelligence, where the company is one of the global leaders with Watson, and even in the area of biological viruses.
According to the company, the commitment encompasses more than 80 thousand patents and applications already registered, in addition to any new application submitted until the end of 2023. Researchers, companies and institutions interested in reviewing the available patents can search the public databases of The United States Patent and Trademark Office.
“To commit to not claiming patents from entities that use them in the fight against coronavirus, IBM is joining the Open Covid Pledge, which invites organizations to make their intellectual property available for free to use to combat the pandemic and to minimize the impact of disease”, Mark Ringes, legal counsel for IBM, said in a statement.
Among the patents made available free by IBM are those for artificial intelligence, including the technologies behind IBM Watson. The system became known worldwide at the beginning of the decade, after beating human competitors on an American question-and-answer TV show. Today, Watson offers several cloud services.
But in addition to the technology field, the company has a patent that describes antiviral agents, including molecules with activity against a broad spectrum of viruses, such as dengue, H1N1 and coronavirus. Another patent describes a touchscreen that uses ultraviolet light for disinfection. There are also algorithms that predict the duration and scope of events, including epidemics.
News from: O Globo
