Apple and Google continue patent war, both bidding for InterDigital?
The Nortel Patent auction looks to have been just the first in a series of bidding wars between Apple and Google, as reports now indicate both companies may now be interested in InterDigital, a wireless patent firm. Apple was part of the winning $4.5 billion Nortel patent bid, and according to their 10-K filings, it appears their share of that bid was $2.6 billion.
Google may have lost that one -- we'll know for sure when the dust settles and the sale is finalized -- but if InterDigital is any indication, they've only begun to fight. Apple licensed InterDigital patents back in 2007 for a 7 year period, but given the stakes, Google might just try to secure as many wireless patents as they can to protect themselves, and the Android platform, from potential lawsuits.
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Unfortunately it's weak US laws that allow these abuses to continue. Patent reform, along with tort reform, is long overdue.
And let's not kid ourselves here... These tech companies, ALL of them, have promulgated this broken system since their origins. They have ALL stole from each other, oops borrowed in the case of the Mac, and now that mega $$$ billions are at stake they all are crying foul. The only ones losing in this is the consumer in the end.