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Nortel Patents Go To Apple, Microsoft, Sony and Others

Posted by Soulskill on from the sold-to-the-gentlemen-with-the-predatory-smiles dept.

tcr writes "A consortium that includes Apple, Microsoft, RIM and Sony has been successful in its bid for the Nortel patent portfolio. The winning bid was $4.5 billion. TechCrunch predicts this could result in a slew of lawsuits directed at Android, but also suggests that the deal will likely receive scrutiny from the U.S. courts."

4 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Consortium patents by regimechange · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Only company from the list that I worry about is Apple. They're really been left and right everyone about patent issues.

    Such as? I guess you mean Samsung....for blatantly copying the iPhone and iPad? Nokia sued Apple first. Kodak sued Apple first. Several Microsoft proxies sued Apple. Who is Apple going after?

    Microsoft, not so much, unless some patent troll has attacked them first.

    What planet are you living on? Microsoft and its proxies are the biggest patent trolls on the planet. how many Android makers have they shaken down for protection money? How about Microsoft funding SCO to go after Linux? How about all the mainframe software lawsuits against IBM by their proxies in Europe? Microsoft shill much?

  2. Patents should be abolished by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Patents are just ways for large companies to choke off competitors by getting a state granted monopoly on an idea.

    There are billions of dollars out there being wasted on patent litigation. That's money that could go into hiring more people and developing new products.

    I'm against monopoly. Why isn't everybody else?

  3. Non-transferable by yarnosh · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I just want to express my opinion that patents should not be transferable. It is bad enough that corporations wield patents to hinder progress, maintain monopolies, and destroy smaller competitors. Patents are meant to protect the people who innovate. You should not be able to buy and sell this protection. If you didn't invent it, you shouldn't be able to enforce a patent on it even if you paid $4.5 billion for that "right." Also, If someone patents something, they have to do something with it themselves or they forfeit their patent. You can't just sit on an idea and wait for someone else to infringe on it so you can sue them. That's just wrong.

    Off topic, but I just had to say it.

  4. Re:Sony makes Android products by Nerdfest · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sony is one of the most schizophrenic companies that I'm aware of, where each part seems completely unaware of the best interests of the other parts.