> The Commission opened the investigation in April 2012.
While the process of buying out had begun at this point, it wasn't finalized until May 2012. I am not sure how much "Google" had to do with this decision.
While the process of buying out had begun at this point, it wasn't finalized until May 2012. I am not sure how much "Google" had to do with this decision.
Too bad this notice was published on 6 May 2013. Surely Google had time to stop whatever Motorola was doing until May 2013 but decided not to, even if Google had no hand in pushing Motorola to do this.
I find it absurd that FRAND patents are practically valueless, but "obvious" patents, which are effectively standards essential because wide applicability, are worth billions and import bans. Apple sued HTC over a patent which is a college algorithms homework question, the first strike on the Android was launched by Apple in 2010. I would view all suits against Apple since then, not as trolling, but as an attempt to negotiate a cross-license by forcing them to the table.
Very touching, minus the fact that APPL was once almost bankrupt too and that the iPhone, that everyone started copying, really made them that $150 Billion. Care to tell us what Android looked before the iPhone? Oh, it looked like the market leader of that time, Blackberry. http://gizmodo.com/334909/google-android-prototype-in-the-wi...
I find it absurd that FRAND patents are practically valueless
No one forced them to make them FRAND patents. At least they get a cent here or there from every phone on earth.
Everything is a copy of a copy of a copy. Some better than others, some different, some identical. It is insane that this shit needs to be patented.
They are not really "valueless", but are weaker simply because their holders pledged them to FRAND license terms in order to get them into a standard. Most standards-essential patents aren't "essential" because there's no other way to do the same thing, but because they're part of a standard that everyone must adhere to in order to be inter-compatible.
As such, patent-holders always have the option of not having them be part of a standard. However, in these cases, they made the bet that getting a small but guaranteed royalty was better than not having it used in a standard, and likely not being used anywhere at all and thus being truly valueless.