5 ms·

Is there anyone not simultaneously suing and getting sued over patents? It's like a war zone where each company tries hard to screw over every other company in

Is there anyone not simultaneously suing and getting sued over patents? It's like a war zone where each company tries hard to screw over every other company in their space. Then they go collaborate on Web standards. If these were people instead of businesses you'd have to assume they had mental illnesses.

alextp 15y ago
The worst thing is many investors who hold shares of one company also holds shares of the competitor, and hence they are spending money wildly to make their portfolio as a whole worth less.
steve-howard 15y ago
But businesses are made up of people. Lawyers work in the legal department. Web standards people work in the Web standards department. I have little doubt that reading news like this makes the Web standards people sad, but they still feel like their work is valuable in the space they occupy and carry on with their jobs. I suppose I assume that the lawyers justify their work somehow, because nobody wants to think that what they do is inherently bad. I think buying up patents specifically to sue people is bad, but I imagine if I worked in the legal field I would feel that it's only fair to fight back.
- wildjim 15y ago
  Not quite: businesses (or corp's) are effectively made of groups of people. These particular groups seem to want to act more psychopathically / self-interested than an individual might -- think mobs or riots.
wbienek 15y ago
Amen brother
zmmmmm 15y ago
> Is there anyone not simultaneously suing and getting sued over patents? Yes. Google is getting sued lots but they are not suing anybody. I suppose selling (or giving??) a patent to HTC who then sues using it is sort of indirectly suing though.
- crenshaw 15y ago
  I thought only Oracle was suing Google Is someone else suing Google?
  - Steko 15y ago
    Well according to a search for "sues google" there's also at least Skyhook, Paypal, Ebay, Zynga and Paul Allen's Trollco. I'd say the lawsuits from Apple and Microsoft count even though they are indirectly suing Google.
    - crenshaw 15y ago
      Umm... I think you read my question wrong. Who's not suing Google? :-)
  - zmmmmm 15y ago
    Ah, finally a chance to use this service ... http://lmgtfy.com/?q=who+is+suing+google http://lmgtfy.com/?q=who+is+suing+google
    - yariang 15y ago
      Hmm since when did my tablet grow a cursor? Are you using hacks? :)
- Steko 15y ago
  Google's like that guy who says he's sick of rich douchebags driving their Porsches around and cutting everyone else off in traffic but then he wins the lottery and what do you know he goes out and buys a Porsche and finds that the superior handling, acceleration and compact chassis lends itself to exploiting gaps in traffic they would not have with their old Honda Accord.
  - barista 15y ago
    It was but obvious that Google will start suing the moment they got their hands on patents that they can use to sue people with. So much for Do no evil :)
waitwhat 15y ago
Sadly yes: the patent trolls get to sue, but because they have no products themselves (indeed, they have no nothing other than a legal shell and a few patent assets) they aren't sued back.

alextp 15y ago

The worst thing is many investors who hold shares of one company also holds shares of the competitor, and hence they are spending money wildly to make their portfolio as a whole worth less.

steve-howard 15y ago

But businesses are made up of people. Lawyers work in the legal department. Web standards people work in the Web standards department. I have little doubt that reading news like this makes the Web standards people sad, but they still feel like their work is valuable in the space they occupy and carry on with their jobs. I suppose I assume that the lawyers justify their work somehow, because nobody wants to think that what they do is inherently bad. I think buying up patents specifically to sue people is bad, but I imagine if I worked in the legal field I would feel that it's only fair to fight back.

wildjim 15y ago
Not quite: businesses (or corp's) are effectively made of groups of people. These particular groups seem to want to act more psychopathically / self-interested than an individual might -- think mobs or riots.

wbienek 15y ago

Amen brother

zmmmmm 15y ago

> Is there anyone not simultaneously suing and getting sued over patents? Yes. Google is getting sued lots but they are not suing anybody. I suppose selling (or giving??) a patent to HTC who then sues using it is sort of indirectly suing though.

crenshaw 15y ago
I thought only Oracle was suing Google Is someone else suing Google?
- Steko 15y ago
  Well according to a search for "sues google" there's also at least Skyhook, Paypal, Ebay, Zynga and Paul Allen's Trollco. I'd say the lawsuits from Apple and Microsoft count even though they are indirectly suing Google.
  - crenshaw 15y ago
    Umm... I think you read my question wrong. Who's not suing Google? :-)
- zmmmmm 15y ago
  Ah, finally a chance to use this service ... http://lmgtfy.com/?q=who+is+suing+google http://lmgtfy.com/?q=who+is+suing+google
  - yariang 15y ago
    Hmm since when did my tablet grow a cursor? Are you using hacks? :)
Steko 15y ago
Google's like that guy who says he's sick of rich douchebags driving their Porsches around and cutting everyone else off in traffic but then he wins the lottery and what do you know he goes out and buys a Porsche and finds that the superior handling, acceleration and compact chassis lends itself to exploiting gaps in traffic they would not have with their old Honda Accord.
- barista 15y ago
  It was but obvious that Google will start suing the moment they got their hands on patents that they can use to sue people with. So much for Do no evil :)

waitwhat 15y ago

Sadly yes: the patent trolls get to sue, but because they have no products themselves (indeed, they have no nothing other than a legal shell and a few patent assets) they aren't sued back.