"It may not be how the patent system was envisioned to operate, but this is the way that the business has evolved among these tech giants--because there's so much money at stake, and it's so competitive, and the marketplace is changing so rapidly," says David Mixon, patent attorney for Bradley Arant Boult Cummings. "Everybody is desperate to secure any kind of competitive advantage that they can in the marketplace." Unfortunately, as Mixon has suggested, this is the sad truth of today's wireless mobile devices / technology industry. Mobile patents and lawsuits are incorporated into the business model as a strategic move to capture market share, whether through actual royalties, successfully implementing sales ban on rival companies or just branding itself out there, creating an image of a "true innovator".
It is so crazy to think about how much of an issue this has become and how many people have tired to create diagrams like these to let others know about it. There is clearly a problem.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how entangled all of these companies are and how many different companies are infringing on other patents whether intentional or unintentional. I think it all relates back to the Fairchild Family and the boom coming out of the semiconductor industry.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, as sucky as this is, I think that the competitive nature of the patent market encourages companies to invest in patent development, which fosters innovation. And after all, isn't that the original purpose of patent law?
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