It has been confirmed that Apple has purchased a total of 1024 patents from Rockstar Consortium. The Rockstar Consortium has been passing the patents to the technology company over the past six months. A Korean regulator initially confirmed that the patents and patent applications were transferred from the consortium to Apple. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database has since also confirmed the transfer.
Rockstar Consortium is a group of technology firms such as Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, Research In Motion and Sony. Collectively, they purchased Nortel Networks' 6,000 patent portfolio for $4.5 billion in an auction back in June, 2011. Such patents related to technologies including semiconductors, wireless, wireless 4G, data networking, optical, voice and internet.
Apple itself contributed $2.5 billion to the deal, meaning the company already had access to the patents. However, having access to patents and owning them outright are different.
Last year, the smartphone industry spent $20 billion on patents. For the first time in their history, spending by both Apple and Google on patents exceeded their spending on research and development of new products.
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Zak Islam is a freelance writer focusing on security, networking, and general computing. His work also appears at Digital Trends and Tom's Guide.
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BoredErica I'm going to start a new company where we make no products, but we get patents on everything on planet earth! I'm going to be RICH!Reply -
monsta Do they really need more patents?Reply
Apple attributed 2.5 billion?
2.5 billion could stop famine and poverty in 3rd world countries....but who cares right? -
abbadon_34 If they truely had good unique products they wouldn't need to "spend billions on patents to protect its products"Reply -
rdc85 "...spending by both Apple and Google on patents exceeded their spending on research and development of new products...."Reply
This really makes me sad.... -
lengcaifai lets see when these patent company left nothing to sell but only patterns.... oops is patentReply -
Soulmachiklamo What if you could invent a patent that involves buying/selling patents..; Apple'd hate you :DReply -
A Bad Day monstaDo they really need more patents?Apple attributed 2.5 billion?2.5 billion could stop famine and poverty in 3rd world countries....but who cares right?Reply
But those 2.5 billion could also be used to shutdown competition, thus boosting profit margins and eventually repaying the expense. Even though they have so much money that it puts the US Treasury in shame.
/sarcasm