hello uncle: i think q's licensing gambit is definitely to limit competition and, if phillips is willing to pay, a pre-negotiation tactic. it's interesting to see companies wielding their ip rights the way john d. rockefeller used his refining and distribution capacity to gain an advantage, almost always to the consumers' benefit though in the long run.
not always though. perhaps you read in the wsj about the story of baxter, through a long and bitter patent fight, putting out of business a company that pioneered a method to fight children's cancer. can't remember the name of the losing company, which filed for chapter 7, i.e., liquidation, but it was a couple of years ahead in testing. the article was written from the point of view of oncologists who were lamenting the lack of access to even experimental treatment for their young patients.
i was out in calif in july negotiating a license with conexent(sp?), thelicensee, representing the licensor. but it was one of those fly in the evening before, start at 10, and go till 10 the next morning and sign up, and then catch a plane back to ny which took off around noon. lotta time for sightseeing!
best, red |
