Patent Trolling - the latest fans

[TeaLeaf]

Guess who lost out most in the rise of Android?  If you answered Microsoft, Apple, RIM, Ericsson or Sony then you're probably right.

You'll probably also be surprised to realise that those companies fund and own 'Rockstar Bidco' who bid $4.5bn for and won (against Google's bid) the 2011 auction for Nortel's stockpile of patents.

And if a hater of the patent trolling that has been going on over the past several years, you'll be disappointed to read about the latest salvo being fired, this time by Microsoft, Apple, RIM, Ericsson and Sony (via Rockstar Bidco) towards Google and Android.

Ars describe it as going DEFCON 1.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/10/patent-war-goes-nuclear-microsoft-apple-owned-rockstar-sues-google

[smilodon]

I'm not so naive as to think that Google are complete innocents and do no wrong. However this kind of desperation from other companies says far more about them than Google. They're all struggling in one way or another either through impending bankruptcy, dwindling market share or being at a complete loss as how to innovate and compete in the modern tech markets. Google, LG, HTC,Samsung etc are driving innovation forward  creating new technologies, services and hardware. This patent trolling is the last desperate effort from companies that are out of ideas.

While it's understandable that Apple, Microsoft, RIm and Sony Ericsson would descend to this sort of last ditch panicked effort, it still shows them all as the morally bankrupt companies they are. While I'm sure my actions are of absolutely no consequence to any of them I'm not doing business with these companies while they continue to attack the only tech companies that are innovating and providing fresh new products and services to us. I was never going to much of a customer for these companies but I'll certainly not even consider spending money with any of them now.

That being said it's not a very appealing thought to think about a world where Android is the only viable mobile platform and Google more or less controls the software. I'd be much happier if Microsoft, RIM and Apple spent their time creating compelling new products rather than trying to stifle the only company that is.

I guess we can only hope that Google can convince the US Government to fix it's crippled patent systems, something Obama has threatened to do but so far hasn't acted on. In the meantime I might just buy the Nexus 5, I don't really need, just to stick two fingers up at the 'Evil Four'