Twitter Pays IBM For Patents; Chief Data Officer Numbers Grow

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Patent Sweep

After enduring the threat of a lawsuit, Twitter acquired more than 900 patents from IBM, which has led the list of patent recipients for the past 21 years, according to a news release. TechCrunch points out that this isn’t the first time a tech company has purchased patents from IBM; both Facebook and Google have done so. “We are pleased to reach this agreement with Twitter because it illustrates the value of patented IBM inventions and demonstrates our commitment to licensing access to our broad patent portfolio,” said IBM’s Ken King.

CDO Infiltration

The number of chief data officers at agencies continues to grow, and Gartner predicts that by 2015 25% of large global organizations will have one on staff. The number of CDOs has doubled since 2012, and most of the roles are in the US. Gartner suggests CIOs view the CDO as a partner with data-management knowledge and skills. Read more.

The Data Play

Facebook is establishing itself as a major player in the advertising world after reporting record revenues and profits in Q4 of 2013. The company’s social data is luring in advertisers, but its market share is still a small slice of the overall digital pie. “The smart brands learned to use Facebook to create demand, and Google to fulfill demand,” Bob Buch, chief executive of social advertising company SocialWire, told The Wall Street Journal.

Viral Ads

Malware is making its way into ads and infecting users’ computers — and this is something new — according to an article from The Wall Street Journal. Although ad servers from Google and Rubicon Project have fraud detection systems in place, it’s impossible to catch every one, notes the piece. Yahoo users were recently affected by a malware ad that slipped through the multiple companies that handle an ad before it finally gets to the user. Adding to the problem is that the malware is capable of passing through antivirus software undetected. Read more.

Two Sides Of Every Story

A report published last week by Ben Edelman criticizing the advertising practices of video ad company Blinkx is under scrutiny after Edelman disclosed that he was paid for the report. Shortly after publishing his analysis, stocks in Blinkx took a plunge, but there are several hedge funds that would have benefited from such a decline in price. Edelman has not disclosed who paid him for the report, or why, but he maintains that “the work stands on its merits.” Read on.

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Sales Departure

Microsoft’s VP of sales, Keith Lorizio, has left the company, Adweek is reporting, but no reason was given for his departure. Lorizio has worked for the company since 2006. Microsoft said in a statement: “We can confirm that Keith Lorizio, VP of U.S. sales for Microsoft Advertising, is no longer with the company. Barry Dougan, GM of global specialist sales, will assume interim leadership of the U.S. ad sales organization while we conduct a rigorous and thoughtful search for a permanent replacement.” Read more.

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