<p>Twitter wants to reform the patent system. But for the moment, it's still paying big bucks to avoid the kind of software patent lawsuits that have become all too common in recent years.</p><p>According to documents filed with with the Securities Exchange Commission, Twitter has paid IBM $36 million for 900 patents in order to avoid a lawsuit. IBM threatened to sue Twitter over at least three patents in November, just ahead of the social network's initial public offering. The companies first announced the patent acquisition in January, but didn't disclose financial details.</p><p>The price only became public Thursday, when the SEC published Twitter's Form 10-K, an annual disclosure of a company's financial performance. According to the SEC document, Twitter now owns 956 patents up from just nine before it filed its IPO in November. It also has 100 more patent applications outstanding.</p><p>From Yahoo and Facebook to Apple and Samsung and Google, it seems that just about every big-name tech company is facing various patent suits or at least the constant threat of suits. The world is now crawling with "patent trolls," companies that exist solely to make money from intellectual property lawsuit. But the big-name companies are also facing off against each other over patents. Apple and Microsoft, for instance, are investors in a patent company that has now sued Google. And IBM, the largest patent holder in the U.S., has now squared off with Twitter.</p><p><a href="http://www.wired.com/business/2014/03/twitter-ibm/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2014/03/07/twitter-pays-36-million-for-ibm-patents.html">Twitter pays $ 36 million for IBM patents</a> (Silicon Valley Business Journal)</p><p><a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57620042-93/twitter-paid-$ 36-million-for-ibm-patents-to-avoid-a-lawsuit/">Twitter paid $ 36 million for IBM patents to avoid a lawsuit</a> (CNET)</p><p><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/03/07/twitter-paid-36-million-for-ibm-patents/">Twitter Paid $ 36 Million for IBM Patents</a> (Wall Street Journal (blog))</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dkngIOvey6IuF-Ma-1txs-MBIrNrM&authuser=0&ned=us">18 additional articles.</a></p>