3 ms·

This seems an awful lot like collusion (IANAL), and if it isn't illegal, it sure feels like it should be. Google should have gotten in on the deal with the res

by furyg3 15y ago

This seems an awful lot like collusion (IANAL), and if it isn't illegal, it sure feels like it should be. Google should have gotten in on the deal with the rest to pay a bit more and open-source them all.

protomyth 15y ago
Licensing groups are pretty common. In manufacturing, it is almost impossible in some areas to build anything without them.
fleitz 15y ago
How so? Why should companies be forbidden to purchase property as a group? How is the objective (licensing some patents) illegal? Also, how exactly does one 'open source' a patent? Patents are not modifiable after the application is submitted, and as soon as they are granted the document is viewable by all. As far as I know Google does not license their patents for free, so why would they buy a bunch of patents just to license them for free? Regarding Google and open source, you'd be hard pressed to find a line of open source code from Google for anything that makes them money.
- furyg3 15y ago
  Yes, but if they are purchasing this property together to use as a weapon against another company... it seems awfully anti-competitive. Similarly, you could make a similar assertion that "companies should be allowed to sell their products at prices they decide", but it's quite another thing if several get together to do this to put another organisation out of business (or drive-up prices). It's anti-competitive and (eventually) bad for everyone. Regarding 'open source', I'm assuming you can buy a patent and put it in the public domain or some similar construction. This may be attractive for a group of companies who are all being blackmailed into licensing. It may even be worth paying a premium for, as it could reduce exposure to risks (licensor changing his mind, competitor buying license and suing, etc).

3 ms·

This seems an awful lot like collusion (IANAL), and if it isn't illegal, it sure feels like it should be. Google should have gotten in on the deal with the res

by furyg3 15y ago

protomyth 15y ago
Licensing groups are pretty common. In manufacturing, it is almost impossible in some areas to build anything without them.
fleitz 15y ago
How so? Why should companies be forbidden to purchase property as a group? How is the objective (licensing some patents) illegal? Also, how exactly does one 'open source' a patent? Patents are not modifiable after the application is submitted, and as soon as they are granted the document is viewable by all. As far as I know Google does not license their patents for free, so why would they buy a bunch of patents just to license them for free? Regarding Google and open source, you'd be hard pressed to find a line of open source code from Google for anything that makes them money.
- furyg3 15y ago
  Yes, but if they are purchasing this property together to use as a weapon against another company... it seems awfully anti-competitive. Similarly, you could make a similar assertion that "companies should be allowed to sell their products at prices they decide", but it's quite another thing if several get together to do this to put another organisation out of business (or drive-up prices). It's anti-competitive and (eventually) bad for everyone. Regarding 'open source', I'm assuming you can buy a patent and put it in the public domain or some similar construction. This may be attractive for a group of companies who are all being blackmailed into licensing. It may even be worth paying a premium for, as it could reduce exposure to risks (licensor changing his mind, competitor buying license and suing, etc).