Final answer:
IBM announced in 2009 that it would allow free use of some 3,000 patents to spur innovation and encourage similar actions from other patent holders, during a time of increased patent filings due to the Internet's invention.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 2009, IBM announced that it would donate some 3,000 patents for free use by developers to help them innovate and build new hardware and software. This decision represented a major shift in the firm's intellectual property strategy. The aim was to foster innovation and encourage other patent holders to similarly donate their intellectual property, enhancing overall technological advancement and possibly addressing concerns that patents might cover too much economic value for inventors. This movement occurred against a backdrop of an increase in the number of applications filed for patents, particularly since the mid-1990s with the invention of the Internet, which opened the doors to numerous other inventions.