Google: Apple, Microsoft are trying to 'strangle' Android with patents instead of competing

By Zach Epstein on Aug 3, 2011 at 5:10 PM

Business August 3, 2011 at 5:10 PM

Apple and Microsoft are playing dirty, according to a new blog post by Google’s Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer David Drummond. Instead of attempting to build innovative products and features, Drummond says Apple and Microsoft are content with filing repeated patent complaints in an attempt to impede Android’s rapid growth. Apple, Microsoft and others are carrying out “a hostile, organized campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents,” Drummond wrote in his post. “They’re doing this by banding together to acquire Novell’s old patents (the “CPTN” group including Microsoft and Apple) and Nortel’s old patents (the ‘Rockstar’ group including Microsoft and Apple), to make sure Google didn’t get them; seeking $15 licensing fees for every Android device; attempting to make it more expensive for phone manufacturers to license Android (which we provide free of charge) than Windows Mobile; and even suingBarnes & Noble, HTC, Motorola, and Samsung. Patents were meant to encourage innovation, but lately they are being used as a weapon to stop it.” Drummond goes on to write that Google intends to support its partners who are being targeted by these patent complaints. ”In this instance we thought it was important to speak out and make it clear that we’re determined to preserve Android as a competitive choice for consumers, by stopping those who are trying to strangle it,” Drummond stated.

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Tags:: Apple, Google, Lawsuit, Lawsuits, Microsoft, Official Response, Patent Complaint, Patents, Statement, Suit

110 Comments

Anonymous

If Google employées lawyers like this on their legal team, they deserve to loose every lawsuit.
Anonymous

When all major mobile OS players (i.e. Microsoft, Apple and RIM) create a consortium to outbid Google for Nortel patents (who BTW was the first to express an interest in them) this clearly smacks of anti-trust issue. So, it’s not surprising that DOJ is investigating the matter. It’s been reported that DOJ wanted to impose a ban on the use of those patents for litigation purposes. In this case, this would mean that the winners just wasted upward of $4 billion dollars (for it does not look like they really needed those patents for anything but the litigation). All Google needs to do is to intentionally violate one of those patents. Will Microsoft, Apple and RIM sue Google? Will they have any chance to avoid anti-trust penalties? Highly unlikely. It just smells bad.
Anonymous

Haha. Everyone saying Google is a crybaby needs to stfu. Apple is the true crybaby trying to sue everyone and their mother. Hypocrites. Just mad that android is butt raping ios., while It’s multitasking.

Boarder95

you are saying apple shouldn’t sue another company when they believe the company is violating their rights?

Every company sues someone else when that company is using their technology without their permission. Not just apple, your all-mighty google does the same thing dumbass
Boarder95

google is a crybaby when was the last time you saw apple or microsoft complaining on their blog about losing a bit. You know what thats called when a child loses something and complains about it? A TEMPER TANTRUM!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Bell/100001788867831 Mike Bell

WHAAAAAAAA, WHAAAAAAAA, WHAAAAAAAA

Wow… not even my 5 year old whines and throws tantrums as much as Google is doing it these days. For a company to cry and bitch so openly on a blog, they’ve gotta feel quite powerless and they gotta be sensing doom & gloom ahead.

Google should start INNOVATING and spending all those profits into R&D instead of just copying others.

tl;dr: INNOVATE, DON’T COPY and you won’t have to whine on blogs.

Dario69

They are looking quite pathetic for a multi-billion dollar company. Almost as pathetic as some of these posts. When did BGR get overrun by adolescents?

And what a week defense? Stop suing and spend your time innovating.” What do you call iOS 5 and iCloud? iPhone5 and iPad3?

Sure, they don’t turn over phones/tablets every three months like all of the Android makers but that doesn’t define innovation.

I think you are right. They are feeling the pinch and stormy weather ahead with what Apple has to offer and is trying to counter this with tired old defenses. Quite pathetic really.
Anonymous

Google is criminal company, they always steal from others and never innovate anything

http://twitter.com/fyrfyter33 fyrfyter33

The real deal is this. The US patent system blows. It has dug itself a hole it will never get out of. It needs a complete rework and overhaul. My feeling on all this mumbo jumbo is this, if you cannot physically produce the item or items needed to show your “process” or “idea” then you don’t get a patent, plain and simple. It took me 2 years of R&D with my Dad, IN MINE AND HIS GARAGES to design our item, and refine it, and then file for a patent. No, I haven’t made a dime off of it yet, but then again I am not trolling the patent listings looking for people to sue, so I don’t really have to do anything with my patent, other than go after others that are similar. Stupid! Companies see other companies making more money, and think they are automatically entitled to a piece of the pie, if they are remotely connected to it.

The other issue that the US patent system has created is multiple patents covering the same idea. One company designs their device to do whatever one way, another company designs their device to do the same task but in a slightly different way, they both file for patents and get them, and then sue each other for infringing on one another’s patents. We have gone from innovation to accusation. No wonder it takes so damn long to develop a cell phone when all the companies do is sue one another.
Anonymous

$15 dollar licensing fees? And people call Apple patent trolls..
Bickity Bam

Stop crying and innovate yourself. Your mole is gone and now you can’t think of anything “new” yourself. Waaaaaaaa.
Dario69

I don’t know what is more ridiculous, Google claiming Apple isn’t innovating with they have a new OS, hardware coming right around the corner or the Android fanboys defending Google as this righteous company that is only our to do good for all of us. They are no more or less evil than Apple. This blog post is an act of desperation and childish. If Apple did this I would say the same thing – “Shut up and prove to me you are better”.

Boarder95

best comment on this blog
Boarder95

I feel like this comment deserves a pirate ship…

<| X| <| )__) )__) )__) )___) )___) )___) )____)____)____)____|____|____|_____ o o o / ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^

Boarder95

why was my pirate ship cut off when i posted it?

http://mitchs.posterous.com Mitch Samuels

I don’t even get why people are allowed to totally buy out patents. It’s not your original idea, you shouldn’t be able to buy it and claim it.

Boarder95

In my opinion that is the only part of the current patent system that makes sense

BGuy

Awe… Poor Google, I feel so bad for them… Oh well, back to driving around neighborhoods taking everyones info so we can get “Street View” on Google maps!
Anonymous

No, you still don’t get it. You are stating market share is what determines success when profit is ultimately what is the defining factor. Android could have 99% of the market but if it is unprofitable than that number means jack shit. Apple has been making money hand over fist for some time with smaller market share in the PC business but they have been highly profitable because of their business model.

GM is one of the largest automakers in the world yet needed a government loan to stay afloat. Market share means nothing if no one is making money selling the product.
Ytytdrt

Notice how apple fan boys are always the most angry towards anything that is not praising apple. Sounds like they all have the app “iAngry.”

Boarder95

thats a two way street dude, fandroids do the exact same thing

http://www.apple.com Ebony & Ivory

Translation: It is working. They are hurting Android.

Or possibly, Google is a sore loser, because they wanted to buy those Nortel patents too.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DYCDEGW7TZVMRDGCWZU72JTOYA Jillian Vaughan

I just paid $22.84 for an iPad 2 (64 GB) and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $674 which only cost me $62.81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, CentHub.com
Noem

@ Zach Epstein
What a troll post.
Do your research! And f’ing Google should too!
MS offered Google to join MS in the bidding as a j/v. Stupid Google didn’t want too.
So stop posting your BS conspiracy crap!
http://profiles.google.com/clistjeff Jeff Peck

“Patents were meant to encourage innovation, but lately they are being used as a weapon to stop it.”

Really?
I thought patents were meant to protect your intellectual property, that you’ve spent a great deal of your own time and money to invent…

I agree that companies and patent trolls snap up patents with the sole intent on suing larger companies for profit, but I also believe that if you plan on using technology that others have invented or patented, you should arrange to pay royalties for that technology.

If you own a patent, if you use that patented technology in your product, and if it distinguishes your product uniquely from your competition, then you have every right to sue.

Otherwise, why pay for research and development if you can just freely use the best of your competitor’s ideas?

The patent process in the US is in shambles.
The department is underfunded and the laws need to be revamped.
They just can’t keep up with technology and innovation.
Mac

Poor google. They are like the kid with the tiny dick in a circle jerk.
http://www.absolutefiction.com Jed Tylman

Hehehe!
Google getting paranoid.
http://twitter.com/puppetMaster3 c vic

Google copied Java for Android without licensing it. I have no sympathy.
http://www.luckfootball.com/ Mimi88huang

Apple……….The streets were !
Anonymous

Its pretty clear Google will rule the world one day!

http://www.anon-web.us.tc

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