Nokia sells essential GSM patents to patent troll

Not really a patent troll. From The Register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01/16/nokia_patents/

"Sisvel is actually concerned with the creation of patent pools, dealing with fields where the myriad of patent-holders makes getting individual licences next to impossible. In such fields some sort of aggregator is not only necessary, but desirable."

Probably the main potential of the deal is not within the essential patents, as these have to be licensed under FRAND, limiting both the possible revenue and their tactical effect in court.

The question is however, which other, non-essential, patens have been sold by Nokia now, and of course why.

This is the very real danger with companies like Nokia failing. Although I'd love to see Nokia return to success, I would rather see them get bought out than have to sell of their valuable patent assets to troll companies.

It's the same reason that, despite all that's happened, I'm still OK with Palm being sold to HP.