I just read this item on IBM and Outsourcing from the Times Herald

[whathehell]

To: H-1B/L-1/offshoring e-newsletter

Well, IBM is now going to withdraw the patent application. The
publication I cited earlier now reports, at
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090330/BIZ/90330042/-1/BIZ2102

# By Christine Young
# Times Herald-Record
# Posted: March 30, 2009 - 6:04 PM
#
# The same day news broke that IBM had applied to patent a system that
# calculates how to offshore jobs while maximizing government tax breaks,
# Big Blue did an about-face.
#
# The application “was filed in error and will be withdrawn,” said IBM
# spokesman Steve Malkiewicz.
#
# Some 17 months ago, IBM abruptly withdrew a similar patent filing
# immediately after it was made public.

The 2007 patent withdrawal is described in the article enclosed at the
end of this message. One of the interesting passages in that article is

# There are 54 other US patent applications pending that include the word
# “outsourcing” in the title. This isn’t IBM’s first patent application
# that is designed to make it easier and more effective to export work
# outside the US.
#
# For instance, it filed a patent application in February describing a
# system to match a “knowledge worker” with a job based on a variety of
# criteria, including experience, salary and geographical location. The
# application includes examples of cost comparisons involving workers in
# India.

By the way, if you are interested in learning more about the patent
application reported today, go to

www.thestandard.com/news/2009/03/30/ibm-applies-patent-offshoring-math?page=0%2C0

Norm

[whathehell]

1. Sorry...Posted in the wrong forum by mistake!