Mikey Campbell
An announcement on Tuesday from a Korean property rights regulator revealed that Apple has taken control of 1,024 patents and patent applications from the Rockstar Consortium, a bidding group led by the Cupertino company that won an auction for a package of Nortel patents in 2011.
First reported by Korean language publication Yonhap News (via Business Insider), the recent transaction shined a light on Rockstar's transfer of more than 1,350 patents over the past six months, almost all of which went to Apple.
As a major contributor to the Rockstar Consortium, formerly called Rockstar Bidco, Apple already had access to the pool of about 4,000 former Nortel patents, but it appears that the company wants full rights to the IP. Business Insider speculated that the move is closely tied to Apple's ongoing global patent wars with wireless handset rivals like Samsung, as full rights allow the company to wield the properties offensively.
In August 2011, the Apple-led Rockstar put up $4.5 billion to outbid a Google-backed group of companies for a batch of Nortel patents. Apple put up $2.6 billion, while Rockstar's other industry heavyweights Microsoft, Sony, Ericsson, and RIM contributed to make the final total.
It is not known how many of the patents Apple has been collecting over the past months are related to wireless technologies.
Charles Martin
Christine McKee
Oliver Haslam
William Gallagher
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In August 2011, the Apple-led Rockstar put up $4.5 billion to outbid a Google-backed group of companies for a batch of Nortel patents. Apple put up $2.6 billion, while Rockstar's other industry heavyweights Microsoft, Sony, Ericsson, and RIM contributed to make the final total.
It is not known how many of the patents Apple has been collecting over the past months are related to wireless technologies.
Microsoft is the only one
besides Applethatneededdidn't need the liquid cash that Apple offered. Besides, their longevity in the phone market may be very short.EDIT: I fixed the sentence that I totally cocked up, sorry for that.
"Besides, their longevity in the phone market may be very short."
Based on what?
"Besides, their longevity in the phone market may be very short."
Based on what?
Well what do you think it's based on? It's been over 2 years now and consumers don't really give a sweet damn about anything to do with Windows phone. Nokia can't afford to continue the way they're going now. And it isn't like MS is raking in huge profits from Windows Phone. They aren't Apple and they lack Apple's cachet and ecosystem strength. They have also lost the universal licensing crown to Android. MS is neither here nor there in mobile. They're getting barely any return on all that investment. And in THIS market, at THIS time, you can no longer afford to wait forever until your product "catches on." They've got a non-perfomer on their hands.
MS was totally unprepared for the sort of market dynamics ushered in by Apple. And they are *still* floundering about today. Nothing they're dong is compelling enough to warrant a major market shift in their direction in mobile.
Well what do you think it's based on? It's been over 2 years now and consumers don't really give a sweet damn about anything to do with Windows phone. Nokia can't afford to continue the way they're going now. And it isn't like MS is raking in huge profits from Windows Phone. They aren't Apple and they lack Apple's cachet and ecosystem strength. They have also lost the universal licensing crown to Android. MS is neither here nor there in mobile. They're getting barely any return on all that investment. And in THIS market, at THIS time, you can no longer afford to wait forever until your product "catches on." They've got a non-perfomer on their hands.
MS was totally unprepared for the sort of market dynamics ushered in by Apple. And they are *still* floundering about today. Nothing they're dong is compelling enough to warrant a major market shift in their direction in mobile.
It wasn't clear if by their, he was referring to just MS or both MS & Apple. And I wasn't sure if he was referring to the reports saying that Android now has 75% marketshare in mobile phones.
For what it's worth, sales of Windows Phone 8 devices seem to be off to a decent start. Almost everywhere the Nokia Lumia 920 is going on sale it's selling out pretty quickly. Of course there's no hard numbers but even the Lumia 900 didn't get off to that quick a start when it came out early this year.
Microsoft is the only one besides Apple that needed the liquid cash that Apple offered.
What?
Apple needed the liquid cash (whatever that is) that Apple offered?