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Google Launches a Marketplace To Buy Patents From Interested Sellers

Posted by samzenpus on from the fighting-the-trolls dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Google has announced an experimental marketplace called the Patent Purchase Promotion, which aims to keep patents out of the hands of patent trolls. From the announcement: "By simplifying the process and having a concentrated submission window, we can focus our efforts into quickly evaluating patent assets and getting responses back to potential sellers quickly. Hopefully this will translate into better experiences for sellers, and remove the complications of working with entities such as patent trolls."

17 of 40 comments (clear)

  1. The evil plan by qbast · · Score: 3, Funny

    And in ten years Google hits whole industry with massive patent attack.

  2. Patent troll by SYSS+Mouse · · Score: 2, Funny

    so will Google become a patent troll themselves?

    1. Re:Patent troll by geekmux · · Score: 2

      so will Google become a patent troll themselves?

      Ah, that's King Troll to you, patent peasant.

      Please ensure you address your patent overlords appropriately.

  3. Sooooo..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Google is currently looking into building potentially the largest patent library on the planet that they double pinky swear not to abuse? Sounds legit.

  4. Better than Google+ by Anne+Thwacks · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well at least it is a better way to spend their money than Google+.

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    Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
  5. Which patent trolls ... by gstoddart · · Score: 1, Troll

    Sorry, but am I supposed to believe this will create anything other than a different kind of patent troll?

    Putting a bunch more patents into Google's hands doesn't prevent them from being patent trolls. This is purely about letting Google buy more patents, not protecting us from patent trolls.

    Greedy bastards.

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    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:Which patent trolls ... by willworkforbeer · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The current lot of patent trolls can exist in the shadows since their businesses do not depend upon the goodwill of the public.

      It stands to reason that a company in the public eye, and one that is already painfully aware of and carefully 'managing' public image issues around the world, would be an improvement over the current seemingly anonymous patent trolls. It is not remotely a perfect solution, but it may be a step towards public accountability for abuses of the abject mess that is the current "patent system."

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      Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
    2. Re:Which patent trolls ... by slew · · Score: 1

      Patent trolls are simply motivated by money, and they hardly care about being anonymous (or shamed). I suspect that all this will enable is patent sellers to create a virtually unstoppable army of mini-patent tr0lls that brings the industry to it's knees.

      Mini-patent tr0lls will exactly how real-estate tr0lls currently work. Real-estate tr0lls buy up irregular lots (often thin-strips of property that border streets and various rights-of-way) that appear to have no commercial value, but they use them hold them hostage when a developer want to develop the adjacent land and shake them down for lots of money. Of course you really have to know the terrain and the local real-estate market (not to mention schmooze with local planning officials and city council members) to execute this strategy, but if often doesn't take much money. And why yes I have direct (painful) experience dealing with real-life real-estate tr0lls when my parents were trying to develop a subdivision.

      Tragically, the MLS (multi-list service for property) made this real-estate tr0ll strategy available to less sophisticated investors in a similar way the MLS enabled small-time chinese investors to invest in the real-estate market in the US. Even though all real-estate transactions (principals and the sale price) are public record, there are so many of them, it creates a form of anonymity.

      This new breed of patent-tr0ll instead of having lots of money, will instead use their domain knowledge to looks for specific low-cost patents that they can use to hold the industry hostage. Using this type of patent clearing house will make it easier and lower risk and multiply the number of people trying to do this. Maybe I should think seriously starting a new career as a mini-patent tr0ll... Or maybe I can just patent the idea ;^)

      I don't think a patent clearing house like this is even *remotely* a perfect solution and will likely just trade a few well funded pariah patent-tr0ll companies (e.g., intellectual ventures), for a virtual army of anonymous mini-patent-tr0lls...

      (f.y.i, used "tr0ll" to avoid the lameness filter)

    3. Re:Which patent trolls ... by gstoddart · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This IS NOT a patent clearing house. Not by a long shot.

      This is Google setting up a market place where people can offer to sell Google, and ONLY Google, the opportunity to buy patents. Nobody else will be able to purchase patents with this.

      This is the Google looking to expand its own patent portfolio.

      This has NOTHING to do with a bunch of mini patent trolls -- just one fucking big one.

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      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    4. Re:Which patent trolls ... by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      Two words apply here HORSE and SHIT. What you just posted supposes that those who write software and patent it will have no choice but to sell their warez to Google.

      No, you're a fucking idiot, AC.

      This marketplace is for Google to buy patents, nothing more.

      I never said anybody had no choice but to sell to Google. What I am saying is this marketplace Google is setting up last about a week or two, and the only buyer is Google. There simply is no other buyer in this marketplace. That's it.

      The rest you can fuck off about.

      TFA is quite explicit:

      On its new online portal, patent holders will be able to essentially list the patents they have for sale, and set their own prices. The marketplace will not remain open indefinitely, however. Instead, Google says that it will go live on May 8, 2015, and will be available through May 22, 2015. The decision to keep it open only for a limited time means Google will have to work quickly to determine which patents it wants to buy, which benefits sellers in need of a more immediate decision.

      If Google decides to buy a patent, it says it will work through due diligence with the company, and close the transaction "in short order." In fact, the company says it anticipates that all patent sellers will be paid by late August by way of an ACH bank transfer.

      The portal is only open to U.S. patent submissions, it should be noted.

      Google stresses also that this program is only an experiment -- equating it to a 20 percent project for Google's patent lawyers, which refers to Google's program that once allowed employees to spend some portion of their time with the company working on unofficial projects that may or may not be continued or eventually translated into new lines of business.

      Has it occurred to you that you might be too stupid to understand the article and what I posted?

      Google is not creating a general market for patents. They are making one in which people can offer to sell to Google before selling to "other" patent trolls.

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      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  6. Re:don't do it... DON'T DO IT! by gstoddart · · Score: 1

    You know nobody gives a crap, right?

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    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  7. Re:don't do it... DON'T DO IT! by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

    No worries about Getting modded down. I have excellent Karma now, I had excellent Karma in the past, and in between I've had BAD Karma. Easy come easier go. The time it took me to go from Excellent to bad was about two days (experiment), to get back to Excellent took about a month.

    Which only proves one thing, it is easier to lose Good Karma Points than it is to get it back.

    The thing that I change wasn't my view, it was simply how I presented my view.

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    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  8. Patent Trafficking by bughunter · · Score: 1

    I need more coffee. I read this title as "Google Launches a Marketplace To Buy Parents... " and was in the act of clicking on it before realizing my error.

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    I can see the fnords!
  9. They get it thats why I'm trying to acquire shares by dotphysical · · Score: 1

    Google is the most expensive company on the stock market and they have all the money so it would only make since to http://gmedicalcpr.com/dot-phy...

  10. Re:don't do it... DON'T DO IT! by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

    Presenting Microsoft in a positive light. Wasn't probably needed to support your point, and enough kneejerk Slashdotters think MS can do nothing right... and for the most part, they are correct, but broken clocks are right twice a day.

    Or asking a misplaced question (Off Topic)

    or both.

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  11. Pretending for a moement we can trust google by Bo'Bob'O · · Score: 1

    So if we pretend that the current state of Google is trustworthy, what happens if there is a management shakeup? Or they need to sell off parts of itself to make some cash? It really seems pretty silly to think that you can trust a corporation for decades when it's trust can literally be bought and sold.

  12. Will they buy my patentable idea? by t_ban · · Score: 1
    Suppose I have a couple of patent-worthy ideas, but not the resources to apply for patents. Will Google buy my ideas for (price that they would pay for my patent, if I had one) minus (the cost of patenting my idea)?

    Now that would interest me.

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    First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win. -Gandhi