4 ms·

There is two cases of protecting IP in the history of Google. The first started at Moto before Google purchased and they let continue. The other was the best

There is two cases of protecting IP in the history of Google. The first started at Moto before Google purchased and they let continue. The other was the best known which was the Waymo suit with Uber. Google gets patents to protect themselves from someone else getting but do not use. Google instead gives away tons of IP. Like Borg with K8s. Or VP8 and then on top indicates they will protect anyone that uses from patent infringement and on top gives for free. Or SPDY or map/reduce or GFS or so many others could have patent and hurt the industry but instead gave away and helped the industry push forward. Can't think of any other company that has given away more valuable IP than Google.

nightski 8y ago
This is true while they are on top. I feel like if any company or technology comes along to threaten that position it could change.
- jacksmith21006 8y ago
  Maybe. But also realize you have to protect patents. So if they do not which clearly they do not then no issue. Also realize Google culture was there when they started and weak and now they are dominate it continues. Perfect example is owning Chrome and Android which are the dominate two clients. Then own the top 2 web sites with Search and YouTube. They create a better protocol which saves money with SPDY. Gives a better user experience. But even thought they have NOTHING to gain sharing they do and give away to the standards committee. They do NOT use as a competitive advantage which is just standard good business practices. That is just not what MS did when in power. Instead they give it away to help everyone. Also so much very valuable IP they just give away to the industry to help everyone. Kubernettes is a perfect example. But there is so many more. Why on earth do you help your competitors? But they help competitors that do just evil things against them. They give away Android to Amazon who uses on their Echo, Dot and Fire among other hardware. In return Google gets a ban for ALL companies being allowed to sell the competing Google products. Not just Amazon will NOT sell as that is understandable but they will NOT allow anyone to sell them! But then SPDY is changed and Google goes back and pays the expense of supporting the changes.
  - Maybestring 8y ago
    >Maybe. But also realize you have to protect patents. So if they do not which clearly they do not then no issue. That's trademarks.
    - jacksmith21006 8y ago
      Thanks! I mix them up. Should have double checked before posting.
  - hueving 8y ago
    > But even thought they have NOTHING to gain sharing This is wrong. They would have been ripped apart by people on the Internet if they switched to a proprietary protocol specific to Google for Google properties. Tech users brought the world to Chrome, tech users would just as quickly take them away if they pulled a Microsoft. >Kubernettes is a perfect example. K8s is not Borg. It was rewritten in open source. Xooglers could have started it just as easily without Google because the idea is very simple to spread. >They give away Android to Amazon who uses on their Echo, It's was open source when they got it and they capitalized on that in the marketing. They didn't "allow" amazon to do anything. They don't allow amazon access to the Google play store so they aren't exactly playing friendly. >In return Google gets a ban for ALL companies being allowed to sell the competing Google products. No, the ban is for not allowing native Google apps on Android users (a.k.a Fire phones) that don't pay the tax to Google. Tit-for-tat, which is petty, but tit-for-tat nonetheless. > Not just Amazon will NOT sell as that is understandable but they will NOT allow anyone to sell them! I bought a Chromecast at Walmart. Seems like Amazon is only preventing them from being listed in Amazon's marketplace. >But then SPDY is changed and Google goes back and pays the expense of supporting the changes. Every browser pays this. That's the Internet. Walled ecosystems with closed protocols die. Google chose the correct move by going open standards, there was no benevolence here.
    - jacksmith21006 8y ago
      Google only allowed encrypted traffic with SPDY and why is was used for so long and nobody even knew they were using. So nobody would even have known as nobody did know. Between their own browser and OS and their own services do not think they would be torn apart. It is not like their services would only work on Chrome or anything like that just better. Really no different than any browser does proprietary things to make theirs work as well as possible. But it does not matter. Google gave SPDY away as wanted to push the industry forward and how we got http2 so fast as they basically handed to the standards group not only complete but also since been using for a while they even had the data also to support the benefits. Why so many companies adopted so quickly. If not for Google we be still debating this and that and not be getting the benefits of http2. On Borg. Yes K8s is a rewrite from what was learned not only from Borg but another Google solution whose name escapes me. The point is Google spent a lot of money building Borg and learned from mistakes and fixed and the knowledge gained is extremely valuable yet Google gave it away with K8s. Now Amazon, Microsoft and most other cloud players have it for free and do not have to invest into going through what Google had to in gaining the knowledge. For free and no strings attached and use to compete against Google. Why? Because it helps move the entire industry forward. Google just looks at the broader tech industry very differently than Microsoft.

nightski 8y ago

This is true while they are on top. I feel like if any company or technology comes along to threaten that position it could change.

jacksmith21006 8y ago
Maybe. But also realize you have to protect patents. So if they do not which clearly they do not then no issue. Also realize Google culture was there when they started and weak and now they are dominate it continues. Perfect example is owning Chrome and Android which are the dominate two clients. Then own the top 2 web sites with Search and YouTube. They create a better protocol which saves money with SPDY. Gives a better user experience. But even thought they have NOTHING to gain sharing they do and give away to the standards committee. They do NOT use as a competitive advantage which is just standard good business practices. That is just not what MS did when in power. Instead they give it away to help everyone. Also so much very valuable IP they just give away to the industry to help everyone. Kubernettes is a perfect example. But there is so many more. Why on earth do you help your competitors? But they help competitors that do just evil things against them. They give away Android to Amazon who uses on their Echo, Dot and Fire among other hardware. In return Google gets a ban for ALL companies being allowed to sell the competing Google products. Not just Amazon will NOT sell as that is understandable but they will NOT allow anyone to sell them! But then SPDY is changed and Google goes back and pays the expense of supporting the changes.
- Maybestring 8y ago
  >Maybe. But also realize you have to protect patents. So if they do not which clearly they do not then no issue. That's trademarks.
  - jacksmith21006 8y ago
    Thanks! I mix them up. Should have double checked before posting.
- hueving 8y ago
  > But even thought they have NOTHING to gain sharing This is wrong. They would have been ripped apart by people on the Internet if they switched to a proprietary protocol specific to Google for Google properties. Tech users brought the world to Chrome, tech users would just as quickly take them away if they pulled a Microsoft. >Kubernettes is a perfect example. K8s is not Borg. It was rewritten in open source. Xooglers could have started it just as easily without Google because the idea is very simple to spread. >They give away Android to Amazon who uses on their Echo, It's was open source when they got it and they capitalized on that in the marketing. They didn't "allow" amazon to do anything. They don't allow amazon access to the Google play store so they aren't exactly playing friendly. >In return Google gets a ban for ALL companies being allowed to sell the competing Google products. No, the ban is for not allowing native Google apps on Android users (a.k.a Fire phones) that don't pay the tax to Google. Tit-for-tat, which is petty, but tit-for-tat nonetheless. > Not just Amazon will NOT sell as that is understandable but they will NOT allow anyone to sell them! I bought a Chromecast at Walmart. Seems like Amazon is only preventing them from being listed in Amazon's marketplace. >But then SPDY is changed and Google goes back and pays the expense of supporting the changes. Every browser pays this. That's the Internet. Walled ecosystems with closed protocols die. Google chose the correct move by going open standards, there was no benevolence here.
  - jacksmith21006 8y ago
    Google only allowed encrypted traffic with SPDY and why is was used for so long and nobody even knew they were using. So nobody would even have known as nobody did know. Between their own browser and OS and their own services do not think they would be torn apart. It is not like their services would only work on Chrome or anything like that just better. Really no different than any browser does proprietary things to make theirs work as well as possible. But it does not matter. Google gave SPDY away as wanted to push the industry forward and how we got http2 so fast as they basically handed to the standards group not only complete but also since been using for a while they even had the data also to support the benefits. Why so many companies adopted so quickly. If not for Google we be still debating this and that and not be getting the benefits of http2. On Borg. Yes K8s is a rewrite from what was learned not only from Borg but another Google solution whose name escapes me. The point is Google spent a lot of money building Borg and learned from mistakes and fixed and the knowledge gained is extremely valuable yet Google gave it away with K8s. Now Amazon, Microsoft and most other cloud players have it for free and do not have to invest into going through what Google had to in gaining the knowledge. For free and no strings attached and use to compete against Google. Why? Because it helps move the entire industry forward. Google just looks at the broader tech industry very differently than Microsoft.