Google seems to be finally waking up to the sober reality that is the tech world of 2011. It could be firing on cylinders, having its engineers create great products that people love, and it wouldn't matter for nothing, if it doesn't have a mountain of patents to defend itself against the number of 'tech' companies squeezing it, and its partners, for protection money.
Android's biggest threat right now is not Apple's iOS, nor Microsoft's Windows Phone, it's companies, like Apple and especially Microsoft, throwing their weight around, intimidating people building things based on the free Android into paying up a percentage of everything they make.
All of this for patent 'licensing.' Of course, the term 'licensing' would imply that the company licensing Microsoft's great technologies and innovations would be then using those technologies for its own purposes, to enhance its products.
This is not what's happening though, patent trolls come around after a company is done building a device, after it's out there on the market and then threaten to derail its efforts, rendering all of its investments worthless with an expensive lawsuit that, unfortunately, the patent troll is likely to win.
Just like with nuclear weapons, there's not much you can do about it except build your own. Google hasn't really done that, it has 700 patents to its name, Microsoft got over 3,000 last year alone.
Microsoft, Apple and company also got their hands on some 6,000 patents from the bankrupt Nortel corporation. Most of those relate to telecommunications.
Google, which bid on those very same patents, didn't go as high as Apple and company and lost.
In the meantime, more and more manufacturers are paying Microsoft for the privilege of being allowed to use Android. Oracle is also suing Google, over Java, used in Android. Manufacturers may end up paying for Android as much as they would pay for Windows Phone.
So what's Google been doing to counter the threat and help the Android ecosystem? Well, nothing. It may be doing some things behind the scenes, but that hasn't resulted in anything concrete. It's been caught up in its own world, blissfully sailing along.
On the surface, especially after it lost the Nortel bid, it seems that the press has been more alarmed than Google itself about the threat.
But Google may finally be realizing the mess it's in and that it has to do something before it's too late, if it's not already. The company has several job listings for lawyers and the likes, specialized in patents and patent law.
The job titles out for grabs are patent agent, patent counsel, patent docketing clerk, patent litigation counsel and patent paralegal. Probably the most important though is "strategic patent licensing and acquisitions manager," confirming some recent rumors that Google has started looking around for patents to buy to beef up its portfolio.
For the time being, Google may be able to fend off Oracle. And manufacturers will put up with paying a fee to Microsoft for each phone sold as long as Android continues to thrive. But it would be a mistake to believe that patent trolls won't become hungrier and hungrier. Google needs to act and needs to do it fast. [
via TechCrunch]
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