Android makes Microsoft more money than Windows Phone

Ummm… maybe don’t troll about 2 OS’s you have absolutely nothing on…

Yes i do a HTC HD 7. So much for your useless comment.

I don’t claim to know a lot. But this is the internet, and I feel comfortable putting my opinion out there. I invite discussion and am willing to change my mind if I feel the evidence is compelling.

You should be warned that I read Techdirt, though. So saying, “it’s good because that’s how it’s always been” isn’t compelling. So since you’re saying I know nothing, educate me!

I don’t know anything either.  Please enlighten us on the patents that MS trolled here, along w/ the date of when MS acquired these patents VS when the lawsuit occurred.

No really, no sarcasm… I really want to know this info.

Well I’m convinced.  You so smart!

I like the idea, but I could see a lot of problems in regards to people who have an idea that definitely should be patentable but don’t have any way to execute it.

The patent system in this country could probably do with a meaningful amount of reform, but there’s no one interested in doing that.

I agree, the reason being:
Company A comes up with a great new technology, but it will take them 5 years to get the facilities to begin production of prototypes.
In 2 years, Company B finds out about the technology . However, it has the facilities, it just will take 1 year of tweaking to create prototypes and does so and gets a patent.
Because Company A didn’t patent anything, 3 years and countless money have been wasted on a product that will take 2 more years to complete, while their rival improves on their design and conquers market share, and Company A can do nothing about it. When they finally get their product out, Company B sues them for patent infringement.
So yes, I agree with what you’re saying, but the time needed to do something would have to adjust according to what it is, which people will argue about and sue about and it will be a whole mess and come out different from what it was supposed to be and end up working worse than what there was before.

Or or the defendant felt that it didn’t make economic sense to fight the lawsuit, and decided to pay up regardless of whether the patent has actual merit or not.

I’d be interested to know whether those patents were filed by Microsoft or, let’s say, purchased from Intellectual Ventures…

You do make a good point, though. Most patents are purchased defensively. However, in the last couple of years, it seems that there’s a lot more utilization of these patents to try to bludgeon other companies (see: Apple, Microsoft, HTC, Motorola, Kodak, etc. ad nauseam).

I guess we’ll find out who’s willing to fight soon enough. My guess is going to be that Samsung and Apple are going to be the only companies really hashing it out, since Apple (IIRC) is trying to get some kind of injunction on everything TouchWiz.

Actually, you should read the article more carefully. This has nothing to do with anyone “partnering up”, but rather, a settlement between HTC and MS probably because HTC decided not to use windows phone 7 in their phones. MS had been offering the major mobile phone makers using DROID OS not to file a lawsuit if they licensed windows phone 7

Errr…wrong, this deal was made LOOOOONG before MS came out with wp7.
As in, before the Droid Incredible was a speck on the horizon.

@Droidman101:disqus, Have you been waiting to use “Err…wrong” for a long time? This deal was announced by microsoft on April 27, 2010 and verizon launched the incredible April 29, 2010.
Google “Microsoft Announces Patent Agreement With HTC”, then google “HTC Droid Incredible release date” and see what you come up with.

Something that is patented could be patented many times and in many ways, but its just different approaches.
You could patent the software to emails and troll with that, someone else the sending/receiving of it, and yet another for the storage of emails on a server. There’s no one patent for each “innovation”, its just that you’re the first person to patent a certain part of it, you don’t have to actually “make” it (google NTP)

So, using your example, someone came up with a new way of doing something – doing sending/receiving or storing emails. Making or thinking of something that hasn’t been done before, isn’t it the definition of innovation?

Microsoft spends about $9,000,000,000 (9 billion) a year on R&D. This money goes to people that think of something new and make it happen. Things they come up with are far more advance than a Send/Receive button – MS IP portfolio is very, very rich. Not every idea that MS develops can be easily commercialized and MS is not necessarily the first to find commercial application for it. This, however, doesn’t mean that if someone else came up with a viable commercial  product using your idea can simply take it, use it without you permission and “make” it into something.

Sometimes, even in business, it’s more about the principle than the money. 

Of course, but unfortunately companies don’t profit from principle. Keep in mind that technically, Microsoft or the other companies aren’t doing anything wrong. The governments granted them ownership of these patents with permission to persue anyone who used them without permission. These companies can let each other use each others properties, but the principle is, they own them (and paid for the patent submissions) and should require permission to use them. I own my cellphone but just because it’s a phone and you need to make a call doesn’t mean you don’t need permission from me first.

And….wrong….they pay microsoft $15 for each phone sold just for using wp7′s source…has nothing to do with the actual porting of it

I didn’t say there were no additional costs associated with licensing WP7 but they are probably far less costs than Android.

I kind of thought that that was what Apple do

You might like to read the following before spreading your crap

I think people are forgetting the big reason that HTC is paying Microsoft to License Android, and that is indemnity. Apple started going around suing everyone that made an Android phone with multi-touch, for various patent infringements including HTC. Google failed to step up to the plate to defend these manufacturers that were being sued for using Google’s operating system (Apple wasn’t targeting Google directly as they have much deeper pockets and a tenuous working relationship with Apple) Microsoft saw this and stepped in with the various multi-touch patents they have in place as well. They informed any manufacturers that anyone licensing their OS would be provided indemnity from IP lawsuits, as Microsoft would pay their legal defense and come to their aid in patent suits that came as a result. HTC saw this as a cheap way to license patents and protect themselves from Apple’s lawyers and they have been paying for a Windows Phone 7 License for every Android device ever since. So ultimately Android was infringing on both MS and Apple’s patents. It became cheaper to just pay MS and have them reduce your risk from Apple.