[nickpsecurity]

IBM and Microsoft got furthest on first mover advantage, shady deals with OEM's plus universities promoting lock-in, and copyright law. Microsoft didn't need patents at all to become a power house far as I can tell. I'm not sure about IBM. Apple succeeded on brand and copyright initially.

So, I doubt they needed patents except to preserve market share later on after they got established. As in, to remove competition like we see with IBM vs Hercules-based company, Microsoft vs Android w/ royalties, and Apple vs Samsung or Mac clones trying to take their products out of stores. Strictly helping them maximize profit and minimize competition in markets they've already taken.