Apple, Google, others rumored to be bidding for Nortel's 4G patents
Apple, Google, Nokia and Research in Motion are all said to be bidding on valuable 4G wireless patents from bankrupt Canadian telecom giant Nortel Networks.
Citing anonymous sources, John Paczkowski of Digital Daily reported Monday that the four companies are competing to buy 4G wireless technologies from Nortel. The company owns patents related to Long-Term Evolution and Service Architecture Evolution.
One source said that the winner of Nortel's patents would gain "a hell of an advantage" in the smartphone race. Phone makers are currently engaged in a plethora of lawsuits, and Apple and Nokia in particular find themselves in a complex legal battle that is expected to take years.
Last week, Reuters reported on Nortel's patent sales, and noted that sources said they "expect" Apple and Google to bid on the wireless technology. Monday's latest report, however, goes a step further to claim that the two tech giants have gone as far as to bid.
Nortel has reportedly completed one round of bidding on the patents, and has separated the inventions into different lots defined by the type of technology. The total collection of patents cover a number of wide-ranging technologies, including wireless handsets, wireless network infrastructure, optical and data networking, Internet, Internet advertising and more.
Final bids for Nortel's patents are due in a matter of weeks, but none of the four major handset makers rumored to be in the running have commented on the matter.
The patent-collecting arms race in the wireless industry has led to a number of lawsuits between all of the major players in the market. In addition to Nokia, Apple is currently engaged in legal battles with Motorola and HTC, two lawsuits that are seen primarily as an indirect attack on the Google Android mobile operating system.
A recent report indicated that Apple has been forced to "lawyer up" as it is the most-sued tech company in the world. As a result, the Cupertino, Calif., company has allegedly hired some of the nation's top patent lawyers as outside counsel.
Citing anonymous sources, John Paczkowski of Digital Daily reported Monday that the four companies are competing to buy 4G wireless technologies from Nortel. The company owns patents related to Long-Term Evolution and Service Architecture Evolution.
One source said that the winner of Nortel's patents would gain "a hell of an advantage" in the smartphone race. Phone makers are currently engaged in a plethora of lawsuits, and Apple and Nokia in particular find themselves in a complex legal battle that is expected to take years.
Last week, Reuters reported on Nortel's patent sales, and noted that sources said they "expect" Apple and Google to bid on the wireless technology. Monday's latest report, however, goes a step further to claim that the two tech giants have gone as far as to bid.
Nortel has reportedly completed one round of bidding on the patents, and has separated the inventions into different lots defined by the type of technology. The total collection of patents cover a number of wide-ranging technologies, including wireless handsets, wireless network infrastructure, optical and data networking, Internet, Internet advertising and more.
Final bids for Nortel's patents are due in a matter of weeks, but none of the four major handset makers rumored to be in the running have commented on the matter.
The patent-collecting arms race in the wireless industry has led to a number of lawsuits between all of the major players in the market. In addition to Nokia, Apple is currently engaged in legal battles with Motorola and HTC, two lawsuits that are seen primarily as an indirect attack on the Google Android mobile operating system.
A recent report indicated that Apple has been forced to "lawyer up" as it is the most-sued tech company in the world. As a result, the Cupertino, Calif., company has allegedly hired some of the nation's top patent lawyers as outside counsel.
Comments
Good luck out-bidding Apple, with their war chest...
Interestingly Qualcomm is not in the scene
One source said that the winner of Nortel's patents would gain "a hell of an advantage" in the smartphone race. Phone makers are currently engaged in a plethora of lawsuits, and Apple and Nokia in particular find themselves in a complex legal battle that is expected to take years.
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I hope that the feds step in and prevent any one of them from gaining such an advantage. We need competition among carriers if we are to see prices fall for consumers. If a big handset maker has an exclusive, then everyone else is at a huge disadvantage. Especially consumers.
Good luck out-bidding Apple, with their war chest...
This. Although even when the competition seems to hold useful or otherwise advantageous patents that enable them to do great things, they don't. It seems whatever patents exist or are being contested at any given time, Apple is usually the one to churn out great products an redefine markets.
I've jokingly said before that the competition should simply hand over their patents to Apple, who will actually do something impressive with them. An unlikely proposition that sounds absurd, obviously, but you get the basic idea.
I hope that the feds step in and prevent any one of them from gaining such an advantage. We need competition among carriers if we are to see prices fall for consumers. If a big handset maker has an exclusive, then everyone else is at a huge disadvantage. Especially consumers.
I have to say that this idea is total paranoid nonsense.
Just superficially ... an "advantage" is not necessarily an unfair advantage and the lack of anyone having said advantage, does not equate to "competition."
An unlikely proposition that sounds absurd, obviously, but you get the basic idea.
Yes, I get the basic idea. You're a huge Apple fanboy. It's sort of like the old Saturday Night Live skits where the guy would say, "If it's not Scottish, it's crap!" Only you're oblivious to the punchline.
Interestingly Qualcomm is not in the scene
qualcomm and nokia already control more than 50% of all wireless tech patents and get paid for them
Does this mean the one who is the winner of bidding can expel other competitiors outside the 4G LTE handset market?
no
it's like blu ray, hundreds of patents needed to sell a product.
Yes, I get the basic idea. You're a huge Apple fanboy. It's sort of like the old Saturday Night Live skits where the guy would say, "If it's not Scottish, it's crap!" Only you're oblivious to the punchline.
What a great place AI would be if people got a one week suspension from the forum every time they used the word fanboy (fanboi)... and three strikes you're out.
Good luck out-bidding Apple, with their war chest...
I believe that someone once commented they had no idea why Apple maintained so much cash...
Because everyone they compete with maintains so much cash and this kind of strategic purchase (IP, spectrum, capex, etc) could cost huge amounts of money.
Buying a strategic advantage for the next generation is worth billions. If nothing else, a significant victory here means quick(er) settlements in all the other IP battles and outcomes more likely in favor for Apple.
I believe that someone once commented they had no idea why Apple maintained so much cash...
Because everyone they compete with maintains so much cash and this kind of strategic purchase (IP, spectrum, capex, etc) could cost huge amounts of money.
Buying a strategic advantage for the next generation is worth billions. If nothing else, a significant victory here means quick(er) settlements in all the other IP battles and outcomes more likely in favor for Apple.
It's like they're playing a video game, obtaining another weapon to kill the monsters.
What a great place AI would be if people got a one week suspension from the forum every time they used the word fanboy (fanboi)... and three strikes you're out.
Couldn't agree more! About the only statement more stupid and more overused than 'Apple fanboy' is 'I'm just saying', after they just said what they said they said.
This site is 'AI', do the trolls know what this means? It's a site DEDICATED to Apple the company and to Apple products. I would think most people visiting this site are probably Apple fans ...
... I'm just saying
What a great place AI would be if people got a one week suspension from the forum every time they used the word fanboy (fanboi)... and three strikes you're out.
Agreed. Though trying to get some people to expand their limited vocabulary beyond hackneyed buzz words is like trying to teach sign language to a blind man.
That would be te safest protection against being sued.
Agreed. Though trying to get some people to expand their limited vocabulary beyond hackneyed buzz words is like trying to teach sign language to a blind man.
What do we call those on here who wear such insanely thick rose-colored glasses / hopelessly lost in SJ's distortion field- that all logic, reason and reality is pushed out the door?
'Fanboi' is short and sums it all up nicely. There are definitely some of them here.
Yes, I get the basic idea. You're a huge Apple fanboy. It's sort of like the old Saturday Night Live skits where the guy would say, "If it's not Scottish, it's crap!"
except your fanboy comments ring even more hollow.
For how many years did we have "smart phones" but they didn't enter the mainstream until Apple - a complete newcomer - blew away over a decade of previous offerings and prior art with their very first entry? Remember, the first iPhone didn't have the app store and it was still a runaway success.
For how many years were tablets Bill Gates personal pet project, and yet again until Apple released the iPad, there was essentially ZERO interest in the tablet space?
You can claim he's just a fanboy until you are blue in the face but the facts are Apple produces. They innovate. They move the line forward.
There is a reason they are second in market cap to only Exxon, having surpassed all other tech companies. There is a reason they will pass MS in revenue, despite vastly different cost models (hint: Apple doesn't have MS's non-durable goods profit margin advantage).
Apple is fantastically successful because they are significantly outperforming their competitors. Not because of fanboys
As soon as Apple stops producing products I care about (like in the suck-tastic 90's) I will stop being a fan. But I don't see that happening any time soon.
They don't have a choice. This is the market they need to dominate as their desktop platform is desperately lacking.
So far the 'Back to the Mac' campaign has been to discontinue support for server hardware/software.
Not exactly what people were expecting.
With still no mid-range / reasonably priced tower, non-narcissistic iMac - Apple is looking 'All in' with mobile computing.
Apple had the cash reserved for just this type of occasion.