Samsung, Apple and Google considering bids on InterDigital's patent portfolio

By on Aug 3, 2011 at 11:41 PM
mobile August 3, 2011

Apple, Google and Samsung are examining InterDigital and its 8,800-patent portfolio, and at least one is expected to bid on the company, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. InterDigital is based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and analysts from Algorithm Capital and Dougherty & Co. said the firm could be worth as much as $5 billion. InterDigital owns patents related to transferring data over wireless networks and its inventions have been used in Android and BlackBerry smartphones as well as the iPhone, Bloomberg said. “The fight between Apple and Samsung is getting serious, so if the assets go to Apple, it could be pretty risky for Samsung,” Shinyoung Securities Co. analyst Lee Seung Woo told Bloomberg. “To hedge the risk, Samsung could go ahead with bidding, although they may have to pay a big premium.” All three companies are beefing up existing patent portfolios as the legal battles between each company heat up. Most recently, Samsung acquired memory maker Grandis and Google purchased 1,000 patents from IBM.

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29 Comments

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  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=792144454 Tyler Jacobs

    Patent wars are bad for the consumer. End of story.

    • Jdoe99061

      For google it seems pretty clear. Create your own ideas stop stealing other peoples work and you won’t be sued.

      • Anonymous

        Yeaaa right. Cause MS and Apple are squeaky clean and innocent. FYI they are also being sued for patent infringement in different cases. There’s no way a company gets as big as Google, MS, Apple, Oracle, etc., without borrowing and stealing ideas from somewhere. 

      • http://www.apple.com/ios/ios5/ BoyRetardedReport

        so? googles OS is based off of iOS!! I have 100% respect to BB WindowsPhone and iOS but I would rather shit a brick then have a Android phone!

      • Anonymous

        You are 100% right sir but Microsoft, Apple and Oracle don’t have a problem paying up for what they have stole, Google’s partners do.

      • Thereadyset

        I agree..
        If copying wasn’t allowed at all there would be only one phone company. One service provider..
        Things would never change because there’s no reason too.
        No competition.

        Example..? Apple is suing for “stealing” their idea for when you turn off your phone it underclocks the processer to save battery life.. that’s common sense if you are at the least bit tech savvy..

    • Day Man

      Can you say Oligopoly. A group of smaller Trolls is no better than one giant one.

  • daniel walsh

    google will win these patents

  • Anonymous

    Who ever wins, rest assure they’re going to want a return on their investment. The patent system is pretty screw up when your getting sue but when your the one suing, it’s a Beauty

  • Anonymous

    Wouldn’t it be less troublesome to just blow up Apple and Microsoft.

    • Anonymous

      totally.. then rather than spending our money on products and services that we want, we can dole it out – usually by accident – to advertisements that we hate. 

      awesome.

      thanks google.

  • James Tyler

    If google would create there own ideas and not steal the patented idea of others this wouldn’t be an issue and they wouldn’t be getting sued

    Tired of google complaining.

    • http://www.apple.com/ios/ios5/ BoyRetardedReport

      honestly!!! android is the biggest piece of shit!!

      • Anonymous

        Your asshole must be big from fucking big black dicks…thats why your able to shit out bricks.

    • http://twitter.com/shawnwill16 shawn williams

      isnt it apple doin all the complaining and begging the itc to not allow imports of the competitions phones to the  US?

      • Anonymous

        They are going about it the legal way, unlike girlie google, who takes to the internet crying at every opportunity. What a bunch of pussies the googler’s are!! Shameful behavior

  • http://www.apple.com/ios/ios5/ BoyRetardedReport

    Google:
    Makes good search engine now they think they are total badass then go and make a phone OS and totally steal iOS then go make a laptop line and call it Chrome OS and just use windows 7 then go write a little love letter to Oracle, Apple, and Microsoft saying that they are trying to strangle them to death or some pussy shit like that?

    Ok Google you listen up, Apple is the big brother, Microsoft is the Middle Brother, and you google are the younger annoying brother. Althought apple and microsoft fight alot they still love eachother but no matter what hate you. You copy them all the time and act as if you are superior. I really am looking forward to the day Android dies so I can go buy a droid and shove it up Eric Schmits asshole

    • Anonymous

      I don’t want Android to die. It makes everyone around better. It keeps other guys honest. Plus Google pushes the envelope all the time. Which helps everyone. Google rocks!

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steve-Man/773857007 Steve Man

      It would be nice to see it happen and what would be great watching Apple bend you over and you begging to give them more money each time they shaft you..

  • Anonymous

    Well – Google can’t participate in something like this because it might be evil and anti-competitive right?

    After all, They just got through whining about how their 3.1B bid didn’t win the Nortel patents that MS and Apple won for 4.5B.. and now – since they lost – those patents went from being a 3+ Billion dollar asset to a patent trolling conspiracy..

    So buying patents is out the door right Google??

  • Anonymous

    When the war is over the only patent Apple won’t grab will be the one for a removable battery Lmao. Trust me google might pump the price but they won’t buy anything, why would they? So all the Android partners can get a free ride, yeah right. Not only are they getting Android for free but they also want google to hand out free patent licenses, yeah ok.

  • Anonymous

    I’m already imagining the “everyone’s out to get us” rant from Google’s GC. 

  • Anonymous

    Anyone stop to think about how these small invention shops (original patent holders) are making out? Its a beautiful thing when a little guy with a big idea can come up with something that doesn’t exist and lock it down. Then have some behemoth cash monster like Google, MS, Apple come along and dump millions in their laps. So all you Jersey Shore, American Idol addicted, social networking, video game playing, whiny bitches need to STFU, hit the books and come up with some shit! Sayin…

    • Anonymous

      I like it. By the way, millions OR billions in some cases.

  • Anonymous

    Meh!

  • http://www.searingarrow.com AlienSix

    Better tell Google to get a bid in quick, lest they miss out and complain

  • Anonymous

    US patent system is so stupid…one day the richest company in the world will buy all the existing patents and will sue everyone that produces anything.

    • Anonymous

      I agree. I. Think the bidding should be won by the nice companies, in this case Google or it’s partners, not the highest bidder. I’m trying to convince eBay of this with no luck so far.

  • Anonymous

    The only reason that all these companies are buying all these patents in the first place is because they’re so broad, obvious, and generally shitty. If these patents were actually unique creations… you wouldn’t be able to sue half the companies that exist as soon as you got them.

    But sure, feel free to keep pointing out how MS/Apple/Google is clearly stealing from Apple/Google/MS because Google/MS/Apple has patents.

    You people need to read more Techdirt.

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