Bull S.A. (also known as Groupe Bull), is a French-based computer and software company that had its first patent application (US Pub. #20200213276) in the AI Cybersecurity sector published on July 2nd. The patent teaches of a method of parsing messages to either block them or pass them through firewalls. Bull utilizes machine learning for classifying these messages. As firewalls are a staple in the cybersecurity industry, any new developments of how to interact with them are always interesting.
While Bull is a new player in the space and will have a lot of work to do to establish a presence in the rapidly-evolving field, they do have a long, if sometimes rocky, history of working in technology. Founded in 1937, the company originally worked on patented punch card technology, but have since moved on to work in computer hardware, software, and information security. The rocky part of their history came in 2011 when one of Bull's subsidiaries, Amesys, was found to have sold surveillance software to Gaddafi in Libya in 2007. As a consequence of that sale, Bull/Amesys was subject to a judicial inquiry after multiple human rights groups accused them of being complicit in torture. Amesys eventually sold off the surveillance software to another company in 2012, but the company is still being investigated. Bull has been trying to improve their public image since that controversy, and becoming active in defending technology systems instead of attacking them may be a great way for them to do that.
To see more interesting companies check out the Magic Number® AI Cybersecurity Patent Forecast®. Also, don't forget to check out the claims of Bull's first application with Patent Matrix®.
