Circle Internet Group acquired IBM’s blockchain patent estate, comprising over 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide, without disclosing the purchase price. The deal makes Circle the largest holder of blockchain patents in the United States, a position previously held by IBM according to Patent Sight data from 2022. CRCL shares rose about 2% in premarket trading to $63.60, a muted response compared to the OCC trust bank approval in July which had driven a 5% gain. This acquisition does not address the strategic threat posed by OpenUSD, a 140-member consortium including IBM, Visa, Mastercard, and BlackRock, whose pass-through yield model directly challenges Circle’s revenue model.
Source: Read the original article
