Microsoft’s recently-announced partnership with Nokia will significantly increase the chances of both Apple and Nokia settling their bitter patent infringement lawsuits against each other, says a long-time intellectual property activist who keeps a close eye on the patent strategies of the tech world’s largest firms.
Writes Florian Mueller:
In light of market dynamics, it would now make a whole lot of sense for Apple and Nokia to stop wasting resources on their fight with each other and instead focus on license deals with all those makers of Android-based devices.
That’s because between them both Microsoft and Nokia have strong patent portfolios, unlike Google, Mueller argues.
“Those two players [Nokia and Apple] may have the potential for mutually assured destruction, and they’re not going to want that.”
Read the analysis here, and Mueller’s thoughts on the significance of Google’s lack of patents for Android here.
It’s all pretty thought-provoking.
Sarah Lai Stirland is from the gadget and status-crazed island of Hong Kong, where even sampan drivers enjoy showing off their latest gizmos. Sarah’s work has appeared in Congress Daily, National Journal, POLITICO, Portfolio.com, Red Herring, The Village Voice, and Wired.com, among other places. She now lives with her husband, cat and her young gadget-obsessed, button-pushing daughter in San Francisco. Follow Sarah on Twitter at @LaiStirland
