Apple And Google Bidding for Wireless Patent House InterDigital?
Apple and Google are weighing bids for InterDigital, a mobile-technology R&D firm that holds an extensive patent portfolio related to digital wireless radiotelephony technology, including 3G and 4G, according to Bloomberg.
InterDigital's wireless patents, according to its CEO, are "deeper and stronger" than Nortel's. A consortium led by Apple purchased Nortel's thousands of patents for $4.5 billion last month beating out a bid by Google.
As of December 31, 2010, its patent portfolio consisted of approximately 1,300 United States patents (approximately 150 of which were issued in 2010) and approximately 7,500 non-United States patents (approximately 1,200 of which were issued in 2010). As of December 31, 2010, the Company had approximately 1,200 pending applications in the United States and approximately 8,500 pending non-United States patent applications. The patents and applications consists of its portfolio relate predominantly to digital wireless radiotelephony technology (including, without limitation, 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies).
InterDigital's stock price rose steeply over the past two days after news of Apple and Google's interest began to leak out. InterDigital currently has a market cap of $3.1 billion. The company announced in a press release that it had "initiated a process to explore and evaluate potential strategic alternatives for the company, which may include a sale or other transaction."InterDigital claims licensing agreements with dozens of companies including Apple, HTC, Nokia, and RIM.
BGR reports that Microsoft is planning to launch Office for iOS in November this year, with the source claiming first-hand knowledge of the software running on an iPad. With the app's splash...
The Palo Alto Online has unearthed plans for a new glass-enclosed retail store going in near the current Stanford mini-store at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, CA.
The store will have...
Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook met with his counterpart from Samsung, Choi Gee-sung, as part of court-mediated talks seeking to find common ground in the ongoing patent battles between the two...
BBC reports that Apple's design chief Jonathan Ive was knighted today in Buckingham Palace, with Princess Anne performing the honors. Ive's knighthood was announced in December, but the...
Studies of "brand value" are always difficult to compare, as widely differing methodologies used by those measuring such data yield markedly different results. But tracking year-to-year...
