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Google Claims a 'Hostile, Organized Campaign Against Android'

It's stupid not to go for these patents. The effect all current devices. You either own them or pay a licensing fee. Welcome to the future.

It would be interesting to see exactly how much money is paid for licensing fees and to whom. Bet everybody's hands is in everybody's pots. These new acquisitions just mean more will be coming out of Android's pot.
 
Depends on how they'll use the patents

If the consortium is going use the Nortel patents defensively (e.g. as a counter-claim if someone else sues them first), then no problem in my mind. If they are going to use the patents to try to reduce competition or intimidate, then shame on them.
 
I'd tolerate a little whining from Google if they weren't smartasses when they bid pi and other popular mathematical numbers for the patent portfolio. It's very humorous to me that they lost and now are complaining when, if they didn't bid pi, they could potentially have won. Congrats Google, enjoy your pi.
 
Wingsy said:
Let's assume for a minute that you're a professional artist. You create a very nice painting. I take a picture of it and start selling postcards with your painting on the back.

Would you show me some "consideration" and not sue me?
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And the brush you painted with is an Apple iBrush, so you have to give Apple 30% of the painting's earnings.
 
Google bid on those same patents. If they’d won, it’s OK, but if someone else won, it’s hostile? I’d rather see Google and everyone share them, but failing that, I can’t see Google as the “lone good guy."

And if Google’s the victim of “organized hostility,” then so is Apple--the most-sued tech company:

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...ech_company_apple_is_forced_to_lawyer_up.html

Defenses against such attacks include:

* Buying patents first before someone else can use them against you. And if you have a patent, you must defend it.

* Owning patents that give you leverage against those who sue you: match their suit with your own, so that both parties can settle and cross-license.

* Owning patents that give you an advantage over the competition, to help your products compensate for patents they simply won’t license to you.

* Fighting back with every legal means you have, to discourage a growing flood of suits against you.

I don’t see how any of these companies can decide to just “not play the game” and let Google buy all the patents it wants. And so far, I don’t see Apple being among those (patent trolls!) who abuse the above means.
 
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burnside said:
And the brush you painted with is an Apple iBrush, so you have to give Apple 30% of the painting's earnings.
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Wrong analogy. If you want to use Apple's brush you pay them $99 per year.

The 30% cut only comes into play if you want to sell that painting in an Apple store.

(This is so totally off-topic, I know, but I don't like incorrect analogies.)
 
AtariMac said:
All is fair in love and war. Google's Schmidt sat on Apple's board and with that knowledge was able to change Google's phone OS plans to better compete with iPhone.

If Apple has to fight back by using its patent portfolio I am all for it. If it were Jobs on Google's board and he changed some product based on inside knowledge your damn sure Google would be fighting back as well.
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Exactly.

Not to mention, the last time Apple laid back and avoided aggressively protecting their IP, Microsoft directly lifted the window/GUI/mouse paradigm that they popularized, and it virtually bankrupted them. I'm guessing they're not stupid enough to let that happen twice - and good for them.
 
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AppleScruff1 said:
lilsoccakid74 said:
Anyone who thinks Apple plays a fair game is a clown. I own all Apple computers, but if they don't show consideration for anyone but themselves soon, that will be coming to an end.
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The lone voice of reason on forum of Appleonians.
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Hey your back to talk bad about anyone posting in a apple forum!!

Anyways, seems like google is a bit jealous they didn't win. It's not like they weren't bidding on the exact same patents!
 
pyro008 said:
Buying patents to use to litigate against your competitors and try to squeeze them out is idiotic (that its legal, not that companies try to do it).
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Why? Seems like a good game plan. Competition's a bitch. Fight, or lose. As long as it's legal, it's legal.
 
What about Lodsys, guys?

Interesting that Google's got its knickers in a twist about Microsoft and Apple's use of patent law, but has uttered nary a peep about Lodsys and the other patent trolls attacking small app developers (in all but a handful of cases, iOS developers).

If you're all that concerned about patents being used to "stifle innovation," where's the outrage there?
 
nagromme said:
Google bid on those same patents. If they’d won, it’s OK, but if someone else won, it’s hostile? I’d rather see Google and everyone share them, but failing that, I can’t see Google as the “lone good guy."
Click to expand...

Seriously, how come we weren't reading blog posts whining about the Nortel patents while Google thought they were a sure shot to win them?

And Google is complaining about Apple stopping innovation? Wait, so now copying what your competitor is doing is innovation? Does Google really want to bite off the hand it is parasitically living off (Android being almost a wholesale rip of iOS for its first few years of existence)? Where is all this innovation amongst the free and open Android competitors? With WP7, Microsoft, and with WebOS, a tiny, collapsing Palm, managed to provide more innovation in a year of development than Android has in its entire existence.
 
lilsoccakid74 said:
Anyone who thinks Apple plays a fair game is a clown. I own all Apple computers, but if they don't show consideration for anyone but themselves soon, that will be coming to an end.
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Because Google is so honest, with it's snooping open wifi and copying ever book in creation. There were going to hold our library captive. Let's not forget Google's Double Irish/Dutch way of making sure they avoid US taxes. Sure Apple has issues too, but don't pretend Google does anything fair either.

Instead of a Hostile Campaign Against Google, it's clearly a campaign against Apple. The likes of your post shows the mindless hate and fictional perception of the industry. Why people who hate Apple come in here to grief other is beyond. That's clearly some sort of campaign, and it's all hostile.
 
The Phazer said:
Don't hate the player, hate the game Google. Software patents are the problem.
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Exactly.

I usually really hate it when people on this forum call others 'cry-babies' or 'whiners' just because they disagree with their opinion and don't have a decent argument to make.

But having said all that, this really does looks like Google being the very definition of cry-baby whiners. :p

Patents are a ludicrous mess, but it's the same for everyone. Google are just annoyed they didn't win with their bid. The lesson is: bid more next time and cut down on the paranoia juice. That's not a great lesson to have to learn, but there it is.

in other words, aww diddums, did the big bad consortium outbid googly-woogle?
 
What a stupid argument...

1) Google was bidding for the same patents and was prepared to pay A LOT... 3 or 4 billion is not meaningless

2) They are arguing because they give it away for free people shouldn't need to worry about patents... say what?? Google wouldn't be giving it away for free if they weren't using it as a vehicle to move into the mobile advertising space... And it doesn't remove their responsibility to avoid trampling patents, nor the responsibility of the manufacturers who use it since Google hasn't licensed for them.

You can argue baout the validity of the patents all you want.
But Google thought they were worth $4 billion....
And their arguement doesnt' pass a smell test
 
Patents

I personally recommend that everyone listen to "This American Life" episode/podcast #441 "When Patents Attack".

I think this is a great episode and will give you a good sense of what the patent industry is like these days. Also, toward the end of the program, they get into things like this Nortel patent purchase and Lodsys. Please listen to the whole thing. It's equally disturbing and fascinating to me.

These patent purchases are really just to protect themselves against lawsuits.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/when-patents-attack
 
The whole concept of "buying" a patent seems ridiculous to me. If Google files a patent and then Google ceases to exist, then the patent should be void. Just like if an individual inventor files a patent and then dies, the patent should be void.

Apple buying a patent is basically just them buying a licence to rip off Nortel's ideas. So why bother with the money?
 
If they had really wanted the patents they would have bid more. The price has got pretty ridiculous though, up to a cipher I can't really comprehend (4 billion?).

I agree on the fact that patent wars are becoming much too common and I highly doubt they have a positive effect on innovation and market growth.
 
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Wait, so $4 billion was a fair price, but $4.5 billion is "inflated"? I don't think Google would have thought the price was inflated at all if they won the auction. Anyway, those patents are worth whatever the market will bear.
 
Google == Bitter Loser

Re: "Patents were meant to encourage innovation, but lately they are being used as a weapon to stop it."

Apple's response should be: Patents are meant to encourage innovation, and lately they are being used as a weapon to stop copying.
 
ProwlingTiger said:
I'd tolerate a little whining from Google if they weren't smartasses when they bid pi and other popular mathematical numbers for the patent portfolio. It's very humorous to me that they lost and now are complaining when, if they didn't bid pi, they could potentially have won. Congrats Google, enjoy your pi.
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My sentiments exactly summed up very nicely :)
 
Hey Google

Stop being a parasite on Apple's ass ! and create your own damn OS without ripping someone off.
This really pisses me off !!
 
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