Leading tech and telecoms players are gearing up for a contest over the patent sale being held by the Canadian vendor Nortel Networks.
Nortel, which entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2009, is in the process of selling 6,000 patents and patent…
Leading tech and telecoms players are gearing up for a contest over the patent sale being held by the Canadian vendor Nortel Networks.
Nortel, which entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2009, is in the process of selling 6,000 patents and patent applications covering wireless, data networking, semiconductors and other business communication technologies.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the Department of Justice has given the green light to Google’s US$900m stalking horse bid for Nortel’s patents. Google’s bid had been subject to an antitrust review.
The report also said that Apple and Research in Motion (RIM) have also been in talks with the DoJ about potential bids for the patents.
AT&T, Microsoft and Verizon reportedly filed objections to the sale on Monday, arguing that it could disrupt essential technologies and give the company that wins the patents an unfair advantage against its rivals.
The auction date is set for 20 June.
Experts have reportedly said that the Nortel patents could be used as a way to undermine competitors, as the winner of the patents could bring a series of patent infringement suits against other tech companies.
In a statement in April, Google said that if it was successful with its bid, it hoped the patent portfolio “will not only create a disincentive for others to sue Google, but also help us, our partners and the open source community…continue to innovate”.
Apple declined to comment.
Microsoft was unable to comment before the press deadline. RIM did not reply to questions.
