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What happens when a smaller company makes such a promise, then later they are acquired or sold? If the acquirer is a big amoral company, I wouldn't count on the
by salmonellaeater 14y ago
What happens when a smaller company makes such a promise, then later they are acquired or sold? If the acquirer is a big amoral company, I wouldn't count on them upholding the promise. And as more and more companies take advantage of a 'safe' technology they think they can't get sued over, the patent gets juicier and juicier as an acquisition target.
- mcintyre1994 14y agoI'm not completely sure how it works, but I'd have thought an acquisition of a company with patents involves transferring them patents to the new owner? In that case, they're protected according to Google.
- martinced 14y ago"What happens when a smaller company makes such a promise..." Who cares? We're talking about Google here: they're worth so much that nobody is going to buy them and, anyway, the structure of the company make it so that as long as Brin+Page do not want to sell their special shares, you simply cannot buy it. Not even with 12 zeros after the 1.