PATENTS rarely make headlines, but they did this month when Nortel Networks, the defunct Canadian telecoms giant, auctioned off its patent portfolio and drew an astonishing winning bid of $4,5bn from a group of companies that includes both Apple and Microsoft. The sale marks a watershed in the maturity of intellectual property markets and a dramatic shift in strategy for technology companies. Suddenly these companies are acknowledging that patents are a strategic asset worth billions. Here’s an inside look at what happened — and what’s at stake — and remember, as you read this, that my company buys and licenses hi-tech patents.Most big tech companies inhabit winner-takes-most markets, in which any company that gets out in front can develop an enormous lead. This is how Microsoft came to dominate in software, Intel in processors, Google in web search and Oracle in databases. As a result, the tech world has seen a series of mad scrambles by companies wanting to be king of the hill. Read Full : BusinessDay - Patents get $4.5billion at auction
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Patents get $4.5billion at auction
PATENTS rarely make headlines, but they did this month when Nortel Networks, the defunct Canadian telecoms giant, auctioned off its patent portfolio and drew an astonishing winning bid of $4,5bn from a group of companies that includes both Apple and Microsoft. The sale marks a watershed in the maturity of intellectual property markets and a dramatic shift in strategy for technology companies. Suddenly these companies are acknowledging that patents are a strategic asset worth billions. Here’s an inside look at what happened — and what’s at stake — and remember, as you read this, that my company buys and licenses hi-tech patents.Most big tech companies inhabit winner-takes-most markets, in which any company that gets out in front can develop an enormous lead. This is how Microsoft came to dominate in software, Intel in processors, Google in web search and Oracle in databases. As a result, the tech world has seen a series of mad scrambles by companies wanting to be king of the hill. Read Full : BusinessDay - Patents get $4.5billion at auction