Sunday, 9 December 2012
Apple and Google making joint bid for Kodak patents, report says
Posted on 22:34 by Maria Scott
Apple and Google might be opponents competing for smartphone and
tablet customers, but according to a Bloomberg report they have joined forces to acquire Eastman Kodak's 1,000 imaging patents for more than $500 million. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the possible alliance in August. Previously, the Journal reported that
Apple and Google were each leading separate consortiums to purchase the
patents in the range of $150 million to $250 million.
Eastman Kodak, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
in January, needs to sell the patents to help pay down a $950 million
loan from Citigroup. The company said that it expects to exit bankruptcy
in 2013. Court documents earlier this year revealed that the company
valued its patent portfolio in the range of $2.6 billion.
Apple and Google were on opposite sides in another contest for
high-stakes technology patents. In July 2011, a consortium of technology
companies comprising Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, Research In
Motion, and Sony bought some 6,000 patents and patent applications from
Nortel Networks for $4.5 billion. Rivals Google and Intel reportedly
began the bidding for the intellectual property, which included patents
and patent applications for wireless, wireless 4G, data networking,
optical, voice, Internet, and semiconductor technologies, at $900
million.
The digital imaging patents, which are relevant to cameras,
smartphones, and other devices, could help both Apple and Google, who
are engaged in numerous patent disputes. Apple has been embroiled in
patent disputes with Samsung and other Google
Android-based vendors. The joint effort to procure the patents could auger a less litigious atmosphere in the future.
CNET's Don Reisinger and Steven Musil contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57558033-92/apple-and-google-making-joint-bid-for-kodak-patents-report-says/
Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57558033-92/apple-and-google-making-joint-bid-for-kodak-patents-report-says/
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