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Google’s finally getting a bit fired up, folks – they aren’t going to take this patent lashing lying down. I remember when Android was an exciting new operating system with loads of potential and little market penetration. No one messed with it, it messed with no one. And now it’s kicking the crap out of everyone else.
In today’s patent-filled world, the best way to compete is to go to court. It seems we can’t go a week without hearing of someone suing Google, commenting on Google’s “infringements” or aggressively pursue patents to help them slow Android’s meteoric rise.
The latest significant blow was from a consortium of technology companies – Microsoft, Apple, RIM, Sony and more – keeping the Nortel and Novell patents away from Google by outbidding them. Google’s now pursuing InterDigital’s patents and may see help from Samsung up against Apple.
Google says they plan to fight this “hostile, organized campaign against Android” by making sure anti-competition isn’t in play by their direct competitors purchasing these patents. We already know the deal, though – anti-competition certainly is in play.
Microsoft has recently sued OEMs using Android for patents they now own, asking from anywhere between $7-$15 for each Android phone sold by each infringing OEM. Apple, on the other hand, intends to block the sales of device’s infringing on their IPs and patents and have yet to offer reasonable settlement options.
One party I didn’t mention was Oracle. While their motives are far different from Microsoft and Apple’s, they too have a strong finger pointed at them. Oracle simply wants money, and that’s probably the only reason they acquired Sun Microsystems in the first place. I bet they wouldn’t give a damn if Android had as little market penetration as WebOS has had – a number so negligible that we often don’t know.
Google has recently formed a team of patent experts and lawyers to help win this battle that seems to be getting more difficult as each day goes on. Aside from InterDigital’s patents, their recent move has seen them purchasing over 1,000 patents from IBM, though it’s not clear whether or not a majority of these were acquired solely for defending Android.
We’re glad to see Google being aggressive about their most successful venture since Adwords and the Google Search Engine. Android deserves to be successful and punishing OEMs and Google because their competitors can’t seem to figure out how to beat them is as low as low can get. We look forward to the day where innovation prevails again and makes all of these patent trolls irrelevant, even if it does appear to be long off. Go Google! [Google]
Finally! tired of hearing about companies suing because the other is behind in innovation.
i’m up for that
I have been waiting for Google to step up and defend Android. Google is the Big Dog in this fight and now that they aren’t sleeping I think it will be a good fight to watch.
Microsoft and Apple fight with litigation because they lack the means and talent to fight with innovation.
Totally agree. Google has my 100% support. I hope all those patent troll companies get absolutely nothing but huge wasted costs on patents and court fees. If those companies can’t compete with Android by producing products in the same league then just step aside rather than leaching off Google’s efforts.
This sounds a LOT like the way our government handles problems!
Lets toss money at the problem. Maybe that will fix it!
Yeah, like crumbling bridges. We could toss money at work crews and concrete mixers to come fix them, or… actually I have no idea what the alternative is.
there’s always golden toilet seats to help them forget the stresses of america’s 50 year old, crumbling backbone…
Stop making sense.. Next thing you’ll tell me is that all these things can’t be done if there is no tax money to do it.. or that when the government spends more than they make, it will create a deficit or something… all that can’t be right.. I mean it’s been beat into my head for years (after the tax cuts) that taxes are the cause of all our problems.. but strangely all these problems seemed to have come after those cuts.. Maybe the math and science skills are really lacking in government.. I’m thinking testing should be a requirement to run for office.. (I’d also ask for common sense testing, but it would never pass)
Taxes aren’t the problem, they’re a symptom. Spending is the problem. Or, more correctly, Unconstitutional spending is the problem.
How did we get onto politics? O yeah, because 1 person mentioned the word “government.”
Well since we’re on the subject, taxes are not the problem, and they aren’t the solution either. You wanna know where the real problem is, do some research on how the Federal Reserve Bank works. By definition, the Federal Reserve Bank can do nothing BUT cause debt. Get rid of the bank, and we can start to get rid of the debt.
Watch a movie called Zeitgeist too. It used to be on YouTube in it’s entirety, I don’t know if it still is. Some of it is DEFINITELY propaganda, and conspiracy theories and crap. But the part about the Federal Reserve is dead on.
Also, look into the “fair tax”.
I WILL PAY ANYONE TO GO TO IPHONE 5 REVEAL JUST SCREAM ANDROID ANDROID ANDROID!!!
I’ll throw in $20.
I think it would be nice if Google bought a grip of patents and then made them Open. Here, sue this.
el google now ready for the revolution. Android will live on and see to it in the future. i know its epic.
Viva la Googlelucion!
You may get stabbed in the head with a dagger or sword.
You may be burned to death or skinned alive or worse.
But when they torture you, you will not feel you need to run,
For though you die, La Resistance lives on.
BLAME CANADA! BLAME CANADA!
We are blaming Canada right?
when Microsoft can make much more money off of android than there own phone OS our patent system has a problem
mr page.. bring the napalm.. i wan’t steak for dinner.. lol..!
When will they learn…”money cant buy you classss” sing it people. I know some of you know the lyrics.
I posted last but my post when in the middle…wtf
https://plus.google.com/110638363550253438248/posts/7EDDFpkk9No
Makes me wonder, when did Microsoft and apple stop investing in talent?
Who are and you suck at writing…and to be honest they were prob driving the cost up….their bid was pi and then some other historical numbers lets be honest..at the end you said google neds to I ovate?really what are he 200 + phones that are all different with awesome specs that keep on driving the spec war…lets be serious and stop playing in a fantasy world kid…wrong reply this is for vooo underneath this convo
Um, maybe speak a form of English that we can understand, and we MIGHT take what you said seriously.
“you suck at writing” – Um… take a look back at your reply. Yu neds sum spel chek. (and I guess grammar check would help too)
“some other historical numbers” – they aren’t “historical numbers”, they are mathematical constants.
Go to school, then come back and have an educated conversation with the rest of us.
EDIT: OH! I forgot one:
“what are he 200 + phones…” – 0 of those phone were made by Google. Only the Operating System that runs on them.
I’d like to know when Microsoft started investing in talent. They’ve never been much on innovation. Unless you were wowed with Microsoft Bob… MS has a long history of buying IP and repackaging it, going back to MS DOS.
I agree. I’m a Windows guy 100%, but only for compatibility and familiarity. (And partly because I hate Apple with a burning passion)
BUT, I do know that Bill Gates made his fortune on an OS that he bought from someone else. He just knew how to market it and who to market it to. Microsoft is, and always has been, full of business-smart people, not computer-smart people.
Neither of them stopped investing in talent. I love Android, it is my mobile OS of choice and am always converting people to Android phones,rooting them for them, and showing them what you can do with an Android phone, but let’s not be blind fanboys. Credit where credit is due – Microsoft invests a LOT in talent. They bought Bungie after they were developing a little game called Halo that Apple decided they didn’t want because MS recognized the talent at Bungie. They invested in talent when they bought Rare – which developed the software behind the Kinect (as well as having a good list of hit games they’ve developed over the years). Microsoft also did the skeletal tracking, facial recognition, and voice recognition software – some of which was derived from certain elements of Windows, while PrimeSense developed the sensors.
Apple has acquired over 20 companies over the years and has stakes in others ranging from software to chip design, semiconductors, music streaming, web-based mapping and mobile advertising.
I’m not flaming you, or insulting you, but credit should be given where credit is due. Bigger companies buy smaller companies all the time when they see it as a good investment (which it wouldn’t be if there wasn’t any talent there).
Among other acquisitions,two very notable ones were in 2004, when Google acquired Keyhole, Inc. which we know now as Google Earth. In 2005,Google acquired Android Inc., and put more money (and talent) into it and expanded and evolved the system. Very smart move on Google’s part, I think, and I, for one am very happy that they did.
Mmm, “meteoric rise”? Meteors fall, not rise.
Eh, I’d rather not get mixed up in the who’s right and who’s wrong business. I like the Android OS and would like to see it continue to flourish. If it does, great, if it doesn’t that sucks.
Google has my support as soon as they implement hardware acceleration.
Go google! long live to android!!!