Android Lawsuits: Google Finds Its Voice
Excerpt:
Schmidt can bluster about innovation and share all he wants, but that won't make these suits go away. In addition to HTC's $5 per handset settlement, Microsoft is trying to get Samsung to pay $15 per handset. Samsung is reported to be trying to settle for $10. These companies aren't settling for millions of dollars because these claims are without merit.
Google's problem is it doesn't have a strong intellectual property portfolio, at least when it comes to mobile phones. It lost a bid for Nortel's patent portfolio to a consortium of Microsoft, Apple, RIM, and others. Best case, this gives Microsoft and Apple additional protection from any patent infringement suits against them. Worst case, it gives both companies more ammunition with which to go after Google's mobile phone partners.
Schmidt wasn't clear on what he meant when he said Google wouldn't let HTC lose. It could unleash its own attorneys, at its expense, to defend HTC, or it could work out some sort of financial arrangement with Apple for the two patents in question. We'll have to see how this unfolds as the fight to overturn the ITC's ruling progresses.
From: informationweek.com |
