Microsoft’s patent licensing machine is back in action, lining up another Android maker: this time, LG. The Korean manufacturer signed a patent agreement providing coverage for tablets, phones and other devices running the Android or Chrome OS. The terms were not disclosed. Read More »
Tech
Long hours with your startup colleagues developing a product with cutting-edge features can prove frustrating when those features end up in a competitor’s offering. Nitin Gupta of LawPivot and Eric Hutchins of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP offer tips for entrepreneurs building a patent portfolio. … Read More »
Samsung on Wednesday became the latest and most high-profile Android licensee to agree to pay royalties to Redmond. But the deal may not be so much “extortion” — as Google quickly labeled it — as Samsung’s lack of trust and confidence in Google. Read More »
New details about Google’s $12.5 billion bid for Motorola have surfaced showing that Google was eager to buy Motorola. But why? One observer believes it was because Motorola was threatening Google with a number of dire consequences to Android if Google didn’t buy up the manufacturer. … Read More »
Google is apparently putting its new Motorola patents to work, transferring some of them to HTC, who has turned around and sued Apple for patent infringement. The move by HTC escalates the fighting between the Apple and HTC and marks a more aggressive stance by Google. Read More »
Battles in the mobile ecosystem used to be fought for developers, but now that clear leaders have emerged with Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating system, with Windows Phone 7 showing promise for no. 3, the battle has switched to patents. So who has them? Read More »
Google’s $12.5 billion bid for Motorola is about a lot of things, but one of the biggest assets in the deal is Motorola’s patent portfolio. UBS has put together a chart looking at some of the biggest patent-related deals recently and how much they’re worth. Read More »
The escalating patent battle provides a moment to reflect on how the implementation of patents have strayed from their intended use. Mark Shuttleworth, who leads the Ubuntu Foundation, had some thoughts on the matter, saying that patents are misunderstood, misused and are outdated in many ways. … Read More »
Google and Microsoft traded more barbs today in their patent squabble. Google said Microsoft’s offer to jointly bid on the Novell patents was a trick. Microsoft said today Google is only interested in using patents against others. The rhetoric, however, doesn’t improve Google’s fighting position. Read More »
I recently wrote that Google had passed on an opportunity to signal a stronger defense of Android during its earnings call. Today, Google reiterated its plans to defend Android and let loose a broadside attack against competitors who are targeting the operating system with patent suits. Read More »
The ITC has ruled that Android manufacturer HTC has infringed on two Apple patents, handing the iPhone maker an early victory that could have large implications on HTC’s business in the U.S. and potential impacts on the overall Android platform. HTC is appealing. Read More »
Google CEO Larry Page addressed a question about what Google’s plans regarding Android’s patent situation, but generally side-stepped the query, pointing to Android’s momentum before finishing with a modest commitment to the platform. It seems like a missed opportunity to signal support to manufacturers and developers. … Read More »
More Must Reads
