Google bolsters Android with purchase of 1K more IBM patents

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Google has continued its run of intellectual property purchases by acquiring 1,023 patents from IBM in an effort to shore up the defenses of its Android mobile operating system.



The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed the purchase after recording the patent transfers on Tuesday, as noted by SEO by the Sea. Google spokesman Jim Prosser confirmed the transaction, but declined to provide details of the deal, which took place on Aug. 17, according to the USPTO's records.



The fact that the Mountain View, Calif., software company purchased more than a thousand patents from IBM just two days after announcing its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola points to its continued interest in building up its patent portfolio, even after staking its claim on Motorola's 17,000 issued patents and 7,500 ongoing applications.



This isn't the first time Google has turned to the well-established technology giant for inventions, as the company purchased a batch of 1,030 patents from IBM in July.



A relatively young technology company given its size, Google has found its smaller IP collection easily outmatched by competitors. CEO Larry Page said last month that the Motorola merger came as an effort to "better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies."



Google recently complained that its rivals are conspiring against it by banding together to purchase groups of "bogus patents" from Novell and Nortel. In late June, Apple led a consortium including Microsoft, Sony and Research in Motion in bidding against Google. As for the Novell patents, Microsoft claims that Google was actually invited to join the group but declined.



The patent dispute between Apple and Android ratcheted up earlier this month when handset maker HTC took patents it had recently received from Google and promptly sued Apple for infringement. Google itself had received the patents from Palm, Motorola and Openwave over the past year.



Apple is locked in several fierce legal battles with major Android vendors, such as Samsung, Motorola and HTC. The iPhone maker recently won a permanent ban on Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Germany and an initial victory in its complaint against HTC with the U.S. International Trade Commission.



Android vendors are also facing a patent royalty assault from Microsoft. On top of a major licensing deal with HTC that may provide $5 per Android smartphone sold, Microsoft has struck patent licensing agreements (1, 2) with Acer, Viewsonic, Wistron Corp., Velocity Micro, General Dynamics and Onkyo Corp.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 44
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Well I guess the do no evil concept is out the window.
  • Reply 2 of 44
    More proof that Google expects Apple to be the winning purchaser of thousand upon thousand of VIP patents in the next auction.
  • Reply 3 of 44
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    Well I guess the do no evil concept is out the window.



    What's evil about buying IP?



    FYI. This is the origin of today's story:

    http://www.seobythesea.com/2011/09/g...ust/#more-6675
  • Reply 4 of 44
    And in this corner HTC playing the role of Lodsys. IV claims not use patents as an offensive weapon but they will transfer/sell the rights to another company for them to do it.



    Now let's see. Google buys a patent from someone that bought it from someone that bought it from someone and then sold it for nominal fee to HTC to sue Apple.



    When patents attack. Google the new Intelectual Ventrues.



    Heck, at least Apple's patents actually have people from Apple, like Steve Jobs, listed as part of the invention team.
  • Reply 5 of 44
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Steven N. View Post


    And in this corner HTC playing the role of Lodsys. IV claims not use patents as an offensive weapon but they will transfer/sell the rights to another company for them to do it.



    Now let's see. Google buys a patent from someone that bought it from someone that bought it from someone and then sold it for nominal fee to HTC to sue Apple.



    When patents attack. Google the new Intelectual Ventrues.



    Heck, at least Apple's patents actually have people from Apple, like Steve Jobs, listed as part of the invention team.



    No where near all of them Steven. There's a lot of Apple IP that was purchased from the original holder/inventor. Some that are essential to the iPhone and iPad user experience were developed by others and simply purchased by Apple.



    Here's an example of one: http://www.pcworld.com/article/14314...echnology.html



    Other recent IP purchases by Apple, not including the thousands from Nortel (still pending final approval) are:

    http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/09/app...aterials-game/

    http://www.xydo.com/articles/2069231...from_freescale
  • Reply 6 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Steven N. View Post


    And in this corner HTC playing the role of Lodsys. IV claims not use patents as an offensive weapon but they will transfer/sell the rights to another company for them to do it.



    Now let's see. Google buys a patent from someone that bought it from someone that bought it from someone and then sold it for nominal fee to HTC to sue Apple.



    When patents attack. Google the new Intelectual Ventrues.



    Heck, at least Apple's patents actually have people from Apple, like Steve Jobs, listed as part of the invention team.



    how are Google and HTC anything like the patent trolls you named?
  • Reply 7 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    What's evil about buying IP?



    FYI. This is the origin of today's story:

    http://www.seobythesea.com/2011/09/g...ust/#more-6675



    What he meant was instead of steam-rolling products w/o regards to existing patent holders, Google is now acquiring them, with their own money (money which were made possible by doing the former in the first place, e.g. click-ads acquisition in the past).



    On that note, I guess they can't change what's underneath.
  • Reply 8 of 44
    Would it not have been cheaper to pay a nominal fee to the original patent holders instead of all this nonsense?
  • Reply 9 of 44
    Ahh goog, gotta love those guys, 1023 patents, guess they were starting at 0?
  • Reply 10 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    No where near all of them Steven. There's a lot of Apple IP that was purchased from the original holder/inventor. Some that are essential to the iPhone and iPad user experience were developed by others and simply purchased by Apple.



    Here's an example of one: http://www.pcworld.com/article/14314...echnology.html



    Other recent IP purchases by Apple, not including the thousands from Nortel (still pending final approval) are:

    http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/09/app...aterials-game/

    http://www.xydo.com/articles/2069231...from_freescale



    In the past 4 years Apple has designed and received > 2,000 patents, and most of them relate to the Embedded Space. None of these were bought.



    Apple continues to receive very important patents, on a weekly basis.



    Apple wins 3-D & Imaging System Patent Stunner



    Always a great site to see exactly the patents Apple continues to file and amass. Google, Samsung and more are also listed.



    http://www.latestpatents.com/category/apple/



    Apple 2011 Patents Granted to date: 531.



    Apple will probably break 800 patents this year alone.
  • Reply 11 of 44
    kreshkresh Posts: 379member
    IBM: In order to buy that patent you have to buy these 1022 other ones for a modest per patent fee.



    Google: Ok, but what are they?



    IBM: Here's a cool one, look a patent for a bendable paper clip...
  • Reply 12 of 44
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    It's getting bad this patent crap. Who needs to invent anymore when even invention itself is for sale.
  • Reply 13 of 44
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    In the past 4 years Apple has designed and received > 2,000 patents, and most of them relate to the Embedded Space. None of these were bought.



    Apple continues to receive very important patents, on a weekly basis.



    Apple wins 3-D & Imaging System Patent Stunner



    Always a great site to see exactly the patents Apple continues to file and amass. Google, Samsung and more are also listed.



    http://www.latestpatents.com/category/apple/



    Apple 2011 Patents Granted to date: 531.



    Apple will probably break 800 patents this year alone.



    No disputing that Apple has a lot that are "home-grown". They also have a lot that were purchased, either as standalone IP or along with a company purchase (touch/gesture patents for instance). Once the Nortel deal gets finalized, most Apple patents will have been purchased rather than developed.
  • Reply 14 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    It's getting bad this patent crap. Who needs to invent anymore when even invention itself is for sale.



    That makes as much sense as asking, "Why write when even books themselves are for sale?"
  • Reply 15 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    No where near all of them Steven. There's a lot of Apple IP that was purchased from the original holder/inventor. Some that are essential to the iPhone and iPad user experience were developed by others and simply purchased by Apple.



    Here's an example of one: http://www.pcworld.com/article/14314...echnology.html



    Other recent IP purchases by Apple, not including the thousands from Nortel (still pending final approval) are:

    http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/09/app...aterials-game/

    http://www.xydo.com/articles/2069231...from_freescale



    This is not about Google just buying patents. The difference between Apple and Google is that Google has serially stolen IP from Apple, Sun/Oracle, etc. These patent purchases are an attempt to defend previous thefts. Apple's patent purchases are an attempt to defent legitimate IP.
  • Reply 16 of 44
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chabig View Post


    That makes as much sense as asking, "Why write when even books themselves are for sale?"



    That's the single worst argument analogy I've ever heard.



    My point is, in case you missed it, that innovation in the software and tech product world has become about who has the most money, not who's the most inventive or creative. It's sad that it's come to this. The consumer would nearly be better off if patents no longer existed at all at this stage.
  • Reply 17 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bitWrangler View Post


    Ahh goog, gotta love those guys, 1023 patents, guess they were starting at 0?



    hehe,



    Heck, I wish our company could afford to buy our way into 'technology'.



    Beats the crap out of working our butts off 11 hours a day :-[
  • Reply 18 of 44
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OzExige View Post


    hehe,



    Heck, I wish our company could afford to buy our way into 'technology'.



    Beats the crap out of working our butts off 11 hours a day :-[



    This guy gets it. ^^^
  • Reply 19 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post




    The isn't the first time



    More for today's typo list
  • Reply 20 of 44
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member
    I'm guessing the basic terms of the IBM deal were established by the time Google made its silly bids for the Nortel patents.
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