IBM Master Inventor

IBM Master Inventor is an honorific title bestowed by the IBM Corporation to a qualifying employee. The qualification and appointment to Master Inventor is governed by the value to IBM of an inventor's contribution to the patent portfolio, and through defensive publication. IBM weighs many aspects of an inventor's contributions, including impact of invention through licensing, inclusion in product, and percentage of patents with a measurable impact. IBM also considers an individual's contribution to the inventing community inside IBM, whether by acting as a patent reviewer, or providing feedback and guidance to new inventors.
IBM Master Inventor is a privilege and title afforded to IBM inventors who have exhibited sustained invention activity. Each Master Inventor is reviewed every three years to ensure they maintain invention and mentoring activity. To be selected as an IBM Master Inventor, an inventor must (1) create valuable inventions resulting in patents and defensive publications that are in line with IBM’s criteria, and (2) support the IBM patent process such as by coaching other inventors, serving on invention development teams (IDTs), and helping the IBM IP Law organization in other ways.
The IBM Master Inventor program recognizes IBM’s leaders in the patent community. The objectives of the program are:
Nominees to the Master Inventor program must have contributed to IBM patent process through invention participation and least two of the remaining three areas:
According to one Master Inventor the citation reads: Stories about a few master inventors appear in IBM web pages and external media. 