Circle buys IBM blockchain patent assets

Circle announced on July 27 that it acquired assets from IBM’s blockchain patent portfolio. It said the transaction covers more than 680 patent families and nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide. A purchase price was not disclosed.

The patents cover areas including blockchain infrastructure, banking, insurance, supply-chain verification and secure cloud operations. Circle says the intellectual property will support products such as USDC, Circle Payments Network and Arc. The companies also plan to explore further commercial opportunities, although the announcement does not describe a separate signed commercial contract. This is an acquisition of intellectual-property assets, rather than a purchase of IBM’s blockchain business or a claim that all IBM customers are moving to Circle. The practical value will depend on how Circle uses the rights in products and partnerships.