ORIGINALLY POSTED August 12th 2007

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I’ve seen a few comments in blogsphere relating to my ‘Master Inventor’ status and figured it was worth clarifying that this is an internal IBM accolade relating to services rendered in the area of innovation, invention and Intellectual Property (IP).

Although in the last few years the US patent office has stopped officially releasing their top 10 lists, IBM has long been #1 with the most patents filed annually – in most years more than double that of the company in the #2 spot.

Within IBM’s research and development labs disclosure submission is close to everyones heart. Points are assigned to individuals for each patent submitted for filing and disclosures that are published – and points do make prizes!

Creating a culture of innovation is one of IBM’s key ethics – this needs individuals that can help to cultivate talent and, as much as I hate using the term, ‘out of the box’ thinking. (Reminds me, ever played meeting room bingo…)

Anyway, from the Hursley IP Law pages :

The title of Master Inventor is awarded to individuals who have an excellent invention record and are known to be encouraging more people to become inventors. Each business unit runs their own schemes for Master Inventors