Facebook acquired 750 patents from IBM, adding
intellectual property that may help it counter
allegations of patent infringement, Bloomberg reported
today citing "a person with knowledge of the
transaction".
The patents include technologies related to software and
networking.
Facebook is bolstering its legal defenses amid a standoff
with rivals that have more intellectual property. Yahoo
sued Facebook earlier this
month, accusing it of infringing patents covering
social networking technology, online advertising, as
well as privacy and technology for customizing the
information users see on a Web page.
The Yahoo suit involves patents covering Internet
advertising, information sharing and privacy. Yahoo asked
for an order barring Facebook from infringing the 10
patents. It's seeking triple damages.