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Apple and Google Lead Separate Groups in Bidding for Kodak Patents

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Mike Valmike

macrumors 6502a
Feb 27, 2012
551
0
Chandler, Arizona
Legog42 said:
A quick wiki search and you will see ALL of the items you list have been patented. Once you have a patent you can rent your idea to others. Look up pop top cans. It's amazing how many styles have been tried.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage_can#section_6
Click to expand...

Excellently replied, saved me the trouble of saying the same thing.

Let's all not forget: Patents expire. That's why now you can get a reproduction NES/SNES unit made by a Chinese company that plays the cartridges just fine, for hours of retro fun, dirt cheap. So as much as a patent granted may seem like it locks away innovation, in reality all it does is what it is supposed to do: protect the inventor's investment by securing for the inventor a limited period of exclusivity on the sale of that invention.

Now if only copyrights still expired ever...
 
B

babyj

macrumors 6502a
Aug 29, 2006
586
8
Adey said:
Here's an idea: why don't all eight of the firms team up, thereby getting use of the patents for 1/8th the price, blocking out patent trolls (who probably couldn't afford them anyway, to be fair) and save themselves millions down the line by not having to constantly sue each other.
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Think with the Nortel patents there was an offer on the table for Google to team up with the Apple consortium. They said no and placed dumb ass bids instead and ended up looking pretty stupid.

Google have only one reason for forming their own consortium this time and that is to get patents which they can use to attack Apple and Microsoft - if they get them they will refuse to license them and it will end in the courts. Though with the amount of cash Apple alone are sitting on you'd think the best they can hope for is increasing the amount Apple and co have to pay for them.

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chrmjenkins said:
Apple and Microsoft have the deepest pockets, so if they want them that bad, they'll get them. Apple also doesn't perceive WP7/8 as a major threat to its business either, so their teaming up makes sense.
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It's got nothing to do with perceived threats. The reason Apple and Microsoft (along with other industry heavyweights such as Cisco and IBM) get along is that they are adults, respect each other and know they need to work together. Google on the other hand are more like a child and act like a spoilt brat all the time.
 
macsmurf

macsmurf

macrumors 65816
Aug 3, 2007
1,200
948
MacRumors said:
Apple, Microsoft, and patent-aggregation firm Intellectual Ventures are teaming up, while Google, Samsung, LG, HTC and RPX Corp are forming the second alliance.
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Patent-aggregation firm AKA patent troll. Way to stay classy, Apple.
 
tdtran1025

tdtran1025

macrumors 6502
Dec 26, 2011
275
0
lzyprson said:
Because this defeats the purpose of Apple wanting to turn Google back into a search & email provider.
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Very true, indeed. Google will be in the poor house! Apple will incorporate Bing into iOS and OSX. We will see that in their new map and Siri.
 
S

smoledman

macrumors 68000
Oct 17, 2011
1,943
364
macsmurf said:
Patent-aggregation firm AKA patent troll. Way to stay classy, Apple.
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Apple is in the process of Borg-ification.

iPod_of_Borg.png
 
3

3282868

macrumors 603
Jan 8, 2009
5,281
0
smoledman said:
Yeah but you couldn't Instagram and share it. Get with the future dude.
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I assume you're either joking or young, but regardless...

There is something about actual, physical photo's that digital pics will never be able to capture (pun intended). Having worked in analog and now digital and analog photography, there always seems to be more joy and excitement when people see a picture, hold it in there hands, appreciating it as opposed to simply seeing it on a screen.

Digital photography has allowed for more creativity with photo's, but it lacks the "magic" that comes from finding an old picture, rediscovering a memory. When photo's are so common, people get crazy about taking pics of everything and forget to stop and enjoy the moment; we're too busy trying to capture it, we miss it.
 
T

topper24hours

macrumors 6502
Jul 27, 2012
352
0
wickerman1893 said:
With the Surface and Windows 8 coming out. I'd say it's a 3 way battle. However, I do get what you're saying and why you would think that.
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I think you TOTALLY missed the point. This article is about Microsoft & Apple teaming up against Google, HTC, and Samsung in a patent bidding war.

That makes it a 2 way battle.. Lol, surface and Windows 8 haven't the slightest to do with this conversation at all. You are confused, sir...
 
Oletros

Oletros

macrumors 603
Jul 27, 2009
6,002
60
Premià de Mar
babyj said:
Think with the Nortel patents there was an offer on the table for Google to team up with the Apple consortium. They said no and placed dumb ass bids instead and ended up looking pretty stupid.
Click to expand...

They were bidding to have a defense against MS and Apple. Buying the patetns with them would have been stupid
 
Oletros

Oletros

macrumors 603
Jul 27, 2009
6,002
60
Premià de Mar
babyj said:
Google have only one reason for forming their own consortium this time and that is to get patents which they can use to defend from Apple and Microsoft
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Corrected, you're welcome

babyj said:
It's got nothing to do with perceived threats. The reason Apple and Microsoft (along with other industry heavyweights such as Cisco and IBM) get along is that they are adults, respect each other and know they need to work together. Google on the other hand are more like a child and act like a spoilt brat all the time.
Click to expand...

You're not serious, are you?
 
SPUY767

SPUY767

macrumors 68020
Jun 22, 2003
2,041
131
GA
chrmjenkins said:
Apple also won't pay an unreasonable price for the patents. They did, after all, pass on Palm when you know all they would have done is absorb their patents, keep their best engineers and kill their entire product lines.
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Never said they would, only indicated that they had the deepest pockets in the game.
 
darbus69

darbus69

macrumors regular
Mar 3, 2009
228
36
the real solution is for ONE industry consortium to buy patents which come up in this type of situation and then throw them all into the public domain, everyone wins-anything else is counterproductive and everyone loses...
 
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babyj

macrumors 6502a
Aug 29, 2006
586
8
Oletros said:
Corrected, you're welcome

You're not serious, are you?
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You need to look at how Apple and Microsoft use their patents versus what Google do.

Apple are protective of those which they believe cover unique functionality that they came up with (whether this is the case or not is another argument and will be settled in court). Microsoft license everything, for what appears to be reasonable rates (never read anything to the contrary). There is nothing to suggest anything untoward has been done with the Nortel patents either.

Google on the other hand use standard essential patents as a weapon, rather than licensing them on the terms that had been originally agreed to. If they were playing by the rules they wouldn't be under investigation by regulators in the EU and the US for this practice.

Which suggests that if the Apple consortium get the patents they'll be licensed out at fair rates, quite likely enforced by the courts if necessary. Whilst if Google get them they'll refuse to license them to the enemy and will use them as a weapon to get their way.

I'm not saying Apple's patent litigation is right, but they got the patents and they're defending them. Which is totally different to Google refusing to license standard essential patents on the reasonable terms that was agreed prior to them becoming part of the standards.
 
N

nickelt

macrumors member
Apr 23, 2009
94
0
darbus69 said:
the real solution is for ONE industry consortium to buy patents which come up in this type of situation and then throw them all into the public domain, everyone wins-anything else is counterproductive and everyone loses...
Click to expand...

Will you pay the billions and hand them out?
 
lordofthereef

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,720
Boston, MA
SPUY767 said:
Seems like Goog trying to buddy up with its Android OEMs could have antitrust implications. Google needs a cudgel to use against Apple, they will pay dearly for these. We all know, however, that no one's pockets are deeper than Apple's.
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Why would this be Antitrust? I don't see it as any different from Apple, who produce their own phone...
 
S

sha4000

macrumors regular
Feb 19, 2012
139
1
babyj said:
You need to look at how Apple and Microsoft use their patents versus what Google do.

Apple are protective of those which they believe cover unique functionality that they came up with (whether this is the case or not is another argument and will be settled in court). Microsoft license everything, for what appears to be reasonable rates (never read anything to the contrary). There is nothing to suggest anything untoward has been done with the Nortel patents either.

Google on the other hand use standard essential patents as a weapon, rather than licensing them on the terms that had been originally agreed to. If they were playing by the rules they wouldn't be under investigation by regulators in the EU and the US for this practice.

Which suggests that if the Apple consortium get the patents they'll be licensed out at fair rates, quite likely enforced by the courts if necessary. Whilst if Google get them they'll refuse to license them to the enemy and will use them as a weapon to get their way.

I'm not saying Apple's patent litigation is right, but they got the patents and they're defending them. Which is totally different to Google refusing to license standard essential patents on the reasonable terms that was agreed prior to them becoming part of the standards.
Click to expand...

But I thought Apple doesn't want to license ANYTHING out. Maybe that has something to do with why Google doesn't agree to the terms. Maybe I'm wrong though.
 
lordofthereef

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,720
Boston, MA
darbus69 said:
the real solution is for ONE industry consortium to buy patents which come up in this type of situation and then throw them all into the public domain, everyone wins-anything else is counterproductive and everyone loses...
Click to expand...

Everyone wins except the company that spent the resources to produce the patent. Can you imagine if all patents were free to use for everyone? I'd just go ahead and make my own phones. I'd pick and choose what features I thought were awesome and go from there. I don't need permission to do any of that under this model. And then everyone decides to do exactly the same thing I just did. In no time flat, we have nobody producing anything new because there is no money to be made by inventing things. There is only money to be made by producing those inventions. And when anyone can just go to town producing the inventions, the only guy that will make money is the guy who's production and distribution costs are the lowest.
 
D

dbrewster

macrumors member
Jul 6, 2012
54
0
This is why you slowly build a warchest. If you want to take away something from Apple/Microsoft, you have to pay dearly. IMHO, Samsung's the dark horse here since Google is currently stretched thin because of its Motorola acquisition. Unless, of course, it just wants to troll again with insane bids to bump the purchase price up. Lol.
 
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babyj

macrumors 6502a
Aug 29, 2006
586
8
sha4000 said:
But I thought Apple doesn't want to license ANYTHING out. Maybe that has something to do with why Google doesn't agree to the terms. Maybe I'm wrong though.
Click to expand...

From what I've read they would (and probably do) license some patents, but they don't want anyone else using what they view as the unique features which differentiate their product.
 
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