Google Buys Over 1000 IBM Patents

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It looks like Google is snatching up patents again. This time around the company bought 1030 patents from IBM that, according to the WSJ, cover everything from "fabrication and architecture of memory" to "microprocessing chips."

The purchase was reported earlier by the blog SEO by the Sea, which said Google in mid-July recorded the acquisition of more than 1,000 patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patents involve the "fabrication and architecture of memory and microprocessing chips," computer architecture including servers and routers and online search engines, among other things.
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"I felt a great disturbance in the Force… as if millions of patents suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced."
 
makes you wonder what Google may be working on, something to help their cloud laptops....
 
faugusztin said:
Defense against others... Like Apple.
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Ding! That's basically what's happening. Rread / listen to the article I posted above if you don't believe me. There are also "funds" that are pooling cash and buying up patents, and then going out and suing people. They invest based on how much profit they think they can make buy taking companies to court. It's not about protecting technology, saving intellectual property, or making sure a company can make their stuff. It's about money... <sigh>
 
So this is Google's backup plan in case they lose the lions share of their business. I don't know about you guys, but these patent trolls are seriously starting to piss me off. I sure hope that isn't Google's plan, but they arn't saints in my view.
 
amdgamer said:
So this is Google's backup plan in case they lose the lions share of their business.
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No, this is a backup plan in case for example company A sues Google that Google infringes X number of patents, so Google pay x$ per device. Then Google can look at their patent portfolio, check which Google patents do company A infringe and then send back a letter which gives company A an option to go back where they came from, or pay Google because company A infringes twice the patents they sued Google for.

PS: Today, you can be sure that even a simple application like a calculator breaks at least dozen of software patents. Here is a idea - hit your patent office on head and remove the whole "software patents" idea.
 
This paragraph rings out the loudest to me:

WSJ Article said:
Google faces patent lawsuits for many of its services, including its Android mobile-device operating system, which has become a bigger target as its world-wide popularity has risen. It is unclear whether any current lawsuits pose a threat to future revenue generated by Google's new technologies...
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There are mainly two compaines that are trying their hardest to 'indirectly' sink Google: Apple and Microsoft. Apple, because "we invented the smartphone, and we're going to sue anyone that uses Android into oblivion", and Microsoft because, "we want phone makers to use Windows Phone over Android, or we'll sue you into oblivion".

In a few years, the smartphone landscape is going to turn into a wasteland.
 
faugusztin said:
No, this is a backup plan in case for example company A sues Google that Google infringes X number of patents, so Google pay x$ per device. Then Google can look at their patent portfolio, check which Google patents do company A infringe and then send back a letter which gives company A an option to go back where they came from, or pay Google because company A infringes twice the patents they sued Google for.
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That's actually pretty spot on actually. Well done.
 
Actually, if I actually do say so myself, actually, there are to many in that sentence.

Anyways, am I the only one that feels once MS and Apple kill off Android (believe me, they WILL try), we will have more of those 'PC-vs-Mac' like commercials, but this time, 'Windows Phone vs iPhone"?
 
It actually kind of makes actual sense, lets see if it acts.out
 
I've never understood why they even allow abstract idea to be patented. Unless you can show exactly how it works, and it does indeed work and you have a working unit, then get out.
 
This shows beyond any doubt how broken the patent system is.

It's more like a protection racket than anything resembling reasonable laws. You have to own mountains of patents so your extortionate documentation pile is bigger than the person suing you.
 
JMccovery said:
Anyways, am I the only one that feels once MS and Apple kill off Android (believe me, they WILL try), we will have more of those 'PC-vs-Mac' like commercials, but this time, 'Windows Phone vs iPhone"?
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Apple maybe, iOS is their major selling article. Microsoft no, Windows Phone is a "nice to have", but not essential thing, and will not "kill off" Android, especially when :
1) they get few dollars for every android phone
2) they can lower the price per phone if the manufacturer will start making WP7 phones too

So MS will not kill of Android, why would they try to take down a good source of income ? And don't forget, it's a income without any expenses...
 
They need them to defend themselves against lawsuits from companies making inferior products who have lots of patents, like MS and Apple.
 
BladeVenom said:
They need them to defend themselves against lawsuits from companies making inferior products who have lots of patents, like MS and Apple.
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Android has it's advantages and strengths but as a simple and straight forward phone OS for the average consumer I wouldn't say it's superior to iOS or Windows Phone. For end most end users iOS and even Windows Phone actually might be a bit better. Indeed Windows Phone is every clean and well designed and I've seen a lot of tech adverse people pick it up and run with is pretty quickly.

But I don't think Apple or Microsoft are really trying to kill Android as much as get a piece of the action which is a far more realistic goal.
 
heatlesssun said:
Android has it's advantages and strengths but as a simple and straight forward phone OS for the average consumer I wouldn't say it's superior to iOS or Windows Phone. For end most end users iOS and even Windows Phone actually might be a bit better. Indeed Windows Phone is every clean and well designed and I've seen a lot of tech adverse people pick it up and run with is pretty quickly.

But I don't think Apple or Microsoft are really trying to kill Android as much as get a piece of the action which is a far more realistic goal.
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*cough* *cough* BS

So they are suing Google and it's handset manufacturers because they want to get a piece of the action? That makes no sense whatsoever. Apple is #2 and was #1 until early this year. MS well.... until they stop playing games by trying to push development tools vs an actual decent user experience they will always be way in the back.
 
JMccovery said:
This paragraph rings out the loudest to me:



There are mainly two compaines that are trying their hardest to 'indirectly' sink Google: Apple and Microsoft. Apple, because "we invented the smartphone, and we're going to sue anyone that uses Android into oblivion", and Microsoft because, "we want phone makers to use Windows Phone over Android, or we'll sue you into oblivion".

In a few years, the smartphone landscape is going to turn into a wasteland.
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I know it hasn't been proven, but it also hasn't been dis-proven that linux doesn't infringe on MS patents. We really don't know if their past claims have merit, Novell sure seemed to think it was a smart decision to get on board. Apple hasn't sued Google either but rather the easier target of OEMs.

I don't see how it would be a wasteland, because the different variants of linux got shut down. The desktop landscape isn't a wasteland with just MS and Apple.

Besides I think Google will step up and do something to prevent Android's demise if they can.
 
You guys think people will say screw it, and take their operations elsewhere? eastern europe, India, other places? If it keeps going like this, eventually firms will say f*** it, i'm outta here.
 
Sure I mean why would any company want to be in the largest consumer market on the planet?
 
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