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Tech Giants Pooling Cash To Buy Patents
theodp writes with a link to a Reuters report, based on a WSJ story, that "Verizon, Google, Cisco, and HP are among the companies that have joined a secretive group called the Allied Security Trust. Each of the companies will reportedly put $5 million in escrow to allow AST to snap up intellectual property on their behalf before it falls into the hands of parties that could use it against them. Patents will be resold after AST member companies have granted themselves a nonexclusive license to the underlying technology. According to AST CEO Brian Hinman, a former VP of IP and Licensing at IBM, the arrangement will keep member companies out of antitrust trouble." (The WSJ's story itself is more detailed, but it's subscriber-only.)
Offensiveness and defensiveness both fall in to the 'interests' catagory so expect it to be used for both of these as necessary.
Where it gets interesting is what happens if two members are in despute about a single patent. Could this trust be used to arbitrate between them or come to some solution outside of the courtroom? Are the patents open to everybody with the organisation then?
I think it could be a very interesting deal, for those on the inside that is.