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Google and Microsoft Agree To Stand Down In Patent Wars

Posted by samzenpus on from the can't-we-all-just-get-along? dept.

_0x783czar writes: Today Google and Microsoft have announced an end to litigious hostilities between themselves; signaling another step on the road to peace as the "global smartphone wars" wind down. This moves settles 18 lawsuits in the U.S. and Germany, including those involving Motorola Mobility's patents, which Google retained after selling Motorola Mobility to Lenovo. Both companies hope this move will help settle the smartphone wars and refocus their efforts on consumers. Reuters reports: "Google and Microsoft have agreed to collaborate on certain patent matters and anticipate working together in other areas in the future to benefit our customers."

4 of 43 comments (clear)

  1. That'e exactly the wrong outcome! by Prof.Phreak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If they really want things to change, they should agree to work towards abolishing stupid patents---not to create semi-trusts that other companies have to fight.

    --

    "If anything can go wrong, it will." - Murphy

    1. Re:That'e exactly the wrong outcome! by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's the wrong outcome if you want goofy things like 'some punk startup turning into the next Microsoft or Google, rather than being a no-risk-to-us R&D venture to be purchased if they do come up with something cool'; but if you are Microsoft and Google; such an agreement is pretty sensible. Patent fights between 'superpowers' are expensive and largely no-win(yeah, individual cases do get won; but the settlements are tit-for-tat and nobody wants an import ban or something screwing up a product launch; and it's been largely settled that nobody has enough patents to stop the other from building 'a smartphone' of some reasonable usability); but being a superpower is good fun; and patents are still useful when encouraging people with neat stuff to sell to you rather than try to go it alone.

      (In an ideal world, hopefully we'd see both parties lobbying for changes that make this agreement obsolete; and if they do I'll revise my opinion; but that's still theoretical at this point.)

    2. Re:That'e exactly the wrong outcome! by gstoddart · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So, you mean they've now formed a cartel designed to abuse their combined market power to keep other players out of the industry?

      Say it isn't so. I'm shocked, shocked I tell 'ya.

      Anti-competitive behavior in the free market? Why that seems so unlikely.

      No, wait, the other one ... big players will always for cartels to collude to fuck everybody else over, that's right.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  2. Alternate title by penguinoid · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Patent trolls agree not to ruin their arsenal, save it for innovators.

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways