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Again, re-reading, it seems like Google's major complaint was in relation to the Nortel patents because of the ridiculous price that they sold for (multiples of what their expected worth was). Even if Google missed out on joining an effective patent troll consortium, is that really the way innovation and industry should be encouraged?

It seems imminent that Apple will benefit from Android via Samsung, and Microsoft is already from Android via HTC, Motorola. Is it possible that Google did try to buy them to secure Android. If they had such a large set of patents, wouldn't that have given them and their hardware partners significant leverage against Apple and/or Microsoft? It seems like a defensive pattern.

Is it possible that Android's success will feed Google's competitors who've joined together to ensure their ability to leach off of Android via patents? Doesn't that make Google's interests fundamentally juxtaposed from Apple/Microsoft's who will profit simply from patent imbalances?




> Google's major complaint was in relation to the Nortel patents because of the ridiculous price that they sold for (multiples of what their expected worth was)

I found Google's position on this to be especially lame.

"These were worth only 1 billion, and they sold for nearly 5 times that!", omitting that Google bid "nearly" 4 times that. (Where "nearly" is defined as rounding up.) Why is four times "expected worth" okay, but 5 times isn't okay? Because they lost.




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