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Kodak Patents Sold for $525 Million

An anonymous reader writes "Intellectual Ventures and RPX Rational Patent, two companies frequently referred to as patent trolls, have snapped up the troubled Kodak company's imaging patents. Bloomberg reports that Kodak has agreed to sell the patent portfolio for $525 million, despite previous valuations of over $2 billion." New submitter speedplane adds "How many stories have we read hating on the biggest patent troll of them all? Finally we see Intellectual Ventures making their case in a Wired op-ed, filled with everything you would would expect from a company suing the tech world on thousands of dubious patents: '...the system needs intermediaries within the market — companies like Intellectual Ventures — to help sift through and navigate the published landscape. By developing focused expertise, these patent licensing entities and intermediaries can function as patent aggregators, assembling portfolios of relevant inventions and providing access through licensing.' And my favorite gem: 'Ultimately, the users of those products — you — are the ones who benefit.'"

6 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. Re:so who really owns the patents? by Smallpond · · Score: 4, Funny

    Could you please just stick to car analogies?

  2. "Intellectual Ventures" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    My mistake. I thought it read "Intellectual Vultures". Sorry

  3. Re:Aww, how adorable... by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 5, Funny

    The complexity, and getting-sued risk, of tech patents are just so high that we need good, honest, businessmen like Intellectual Ventures to help us sort it all out for a small fee...

    Why didn't they just name this company Intellectual Vultures? I would at least respect them for their honesty if they did.

  4. Re:so who really owns the patents? by Pope · · Score: 5, Funny

    OK: that's like saying a Jaguar and a Cougar were going to have a Bobcat hold the dead Impala they both want to eat.

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    It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
  5. You are the ones who benefit by kawabago · · Score: 1, Funny

    Now bend over and take your benefit!

  6. I need to put down the coffee by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1, Funny

    Intellectual Ventures and RPX Rational Patents

    In my first 15ms of reading that it said, "Intellectual Vampires and RPX Railroad Patents".

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    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)