IBM sued Amazon today, claiming the Web retailer has infringed on five of its patents that have to do with recommending products, serving up advertising and storing data.

IBM said that hundreds of other companies are using those patented technologies after paying license fees, and that it tried to negotiate a licensing deal at least a dozen times since 2002.

IBM files more patents than anyone, and certainly knows how to play this out. It filed its lawsuits in Texas, in districts known to be a little more patent friendly. The company isn't saying how much money it wants in damages. I have a call in to Amazon for comment.