Google Accuses Competitors of Abusing Patents Against Android 294
Hugh Pickens writes "Bloomberg reports that Google has accused Microsoft, Apple, and Oracle of waging a 'hostile, organized campaign' against Android by purchasing patents to keep them out of Google's hands and to make it more expensive for handset makers to use Android. 'We thought it was important to speak out and make it clear that we're determined to preserve Android as a competitive choice for consumers, by stopping those who are trying to strangle it,' writes David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer. Android's success has resulted in a 'hostile, organized campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents.'"
Microsoft has responded, saying they offered to bid jointly with Google on the Nortel patents, but Google refused. Some think Google is being hypocritical with their stance on patents changing now that Android appears to infringe on a bunch.
Re:Seriously (Score:4, Informative)
I tend to agree. Here's one possibility that comes to mind: "Hey Google, do you want to be our friend? We don't really need your coffers to guarantee we get these patents, but if you chip in, and as long as you pursue the same legal cases with us against our other competitors, you and yours will be safe."
I would pretend I'm being cynical, but this one seems like a no-brainer. There were strings attached to that patent deal, Google knew it, and did the Right Thing, even though it's going to suck, like getting dunked in the toilet every day after school for the next twenty years.
Re:Will PageRank be opensourced (Score:2, Informative)
Copyright and patents are different issues with different ramifications.
Also, if they document PageRank, it will make it easier to game and reduce the quality of their product.
Re:Will PageRank be opensourced (Score:2, Informative)
The topic here is android, that is opensource, is given for free to phone manufacturers. But because of all the patents helds by all those companies whatever that tries to install that open source in their hardware gets sued and have to pay extra a lot for that opensource technology. And considering how much broken is the patent system now, those 250k patents could not let you stay within a mile of a cellphone without breaking a bunch of them for things like breathing or just existing.
Regarding PageRank, why it in particular should be? Is basically an internal app with a public api. Some public apps from google got open sourced, like Wave (even before the launch, when everyone thought that it could be a major player in social networks). And they didnt sued Microsoft for using the "search" word in the same planet where Google is as basically the patents attacking android are doing regarding cellphones.
Novell, not Nortel (Score:5, Informative)
Reading comprehension fail or professional troll? MS said they invited Google to a joint bid for the Novell deal. That's not the $4.5 billion Nortel deal.
Re:Seriously (Score:5, Informative)
Seriously? The general counsel of the company shows you the e-mail he sent to Google inviting them to bid and you want to deny it with a wave of your hand? When they only showed it after Google tried to claim they got screwed when they bid alone?
The whole point of buying the patents was to prevent them from being used against them. They offered for Google to join in and lower the cost for everyone. Google said no and now wants to complain about how unfair it is for them.
Google is wrong here. It happens. We can't lose the ability to critically evaluate Google's actions because we want them to be good.