Apple Contributing $2.6 Billion Toward Nortel Patent Purchase

nortel logo1
Earlier this month, an Apple-led consortium beat out Google in an auction of thousands of patents from bankrupt Nortel, bidding $4.5 billion for the entire package of patents. As noted by @SammyWalrusIV (via Business Insider), Apple 10-Q quarterly report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that Apple's contribution to that effort totaled $2.6 billion.

On June 27, 2011, the Company, as part of a consortium, participated in the acquisition of Nortel's patent portfolio for an overall purchase price of $4.5 billion, of which the Company's contribution will be approximately $2.6 billion. This asset acquisition is subject to approval by various regulatory agencies.

Apple's partners in the deal included EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, Research in Motion, and Sony. Apple's $2.6 billion contribution represents 58% of the entire purchase price of the Nortel patent portfolio. The large number may add credence to the rumor to have paid $2 billion for "outright ownership" of Nortel's LTE (4G) patent technology.

And Apple may not be finished with its efforts to purchase intellectual property on the open market, as the company is said to be considering going up against Google again for a portfolio of 1,300 patents related to mobile phone technologies being offered by InterDigital.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
ipados 26 1 slide over

Apple Releases iPadOS 26.2 With Multitasking Improvements

Friday December 12, 2025 10:09 am PST by
Apple today released iPadOS 26.2, the second major update to the iPadOS 26 operating system released in September. iPadOS 26.2 comes a month after iPadOS 26.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. iPadOS 26.2 continues with the multitasking improvements that were added with iPadOS 26.1. You can now drag and...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Update Now: iOS 26.2 Fixes 20+ Security Vulnerabilities

Friday December 12, 2025 11:11 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, iPadOS 26.2, and macOS 26.2, all of which introduce new features, bug fixes, and security improvements. Apple says that the updates address over 20 vulnerabilities, including two bugs that are known to have been actively exploited. There are a pair of WebKit vulnerabilities that could allow maliciously crafted web content to execute code or cause memory...

Top Rated Comments

PeterQVenkman Avatar
188 months ago
Begun, this patent war has.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
*LTD* Avatar
188 months ago
Apple basically bought everyone's drinks. Nice.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S.Jobs Avatar
188 months ago
they will make that back in law suits :)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GLS Avatar
188 months ago

So thank you, Apple, for doing your part to abuse the already broken system. We really appreciate it. Ugh.

So what was Apple's alternative? To allow Google to get the patents, and do their part to abuse the already broken system?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arcite Avatar
188 months ago
Kodak is also floating their patent portfolio. Sounds like a way to monetize them while retaining use of them and losing the unpredictable expense of litigating them. I wonder if Apple has enough money from THIS month's net to pay for them, cash. :D

BTW the more recent 10-Q is out which further details their self-financing and expansion efforts. Their entire new HQ project is covered by 1/8 of one fiscal quarter net income after taxes.

They pay over $2.5B per quarter in federal income taxes.

Rocketman

http://investor.apple.com/common/download/download.cfm?companyid=AAPL&fileid=484701&filekey=6542e771-f256-4829-8135-0b1d88c7c2b2&filename=AAPL%20Q3FY11%2010Q%2007.20.11.pdf

June 25, 2011 September 25, 2010
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities $ 76,156 $ 51,011
Accounts receivable, net $ 6,102 $ 5,510
Inventory $ 889 $ 1,051
Working capital $ 20,039 $ 20,956

Burn rate?
Cost of sales 16,649
figures in millions

Gotta love it how in 10 short years Apple has become the 10,000 ton Gorilla of the tech world. :eek: :D
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Popeye206 Avatar
188 months ago
Talked with a local high-tech patent lawyer the other night at a local event and he thinks what we're seeing is a shake out in the high-tech patents. His feeling is the method has become "implement someones IP" and then see if they try and protect it. Then hope in court you can dilute or dismiss their claims or obtain a reasonable cross license.

It does seem that protecting your IP and keeping others from implementing it is almost impossible these days. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)