What If Android Lost the Patent War?

[wraggster]

The patent system is certainly complex, especially when it comes to smartphones. The Financial Times estimates that as many as 250,000 patents are at stake in a smartphone. Industry titans like Microsoft, Nokia, and Apple have tens of thousands of patents each, but Google's portfolio is reportedly on the low end — 'under 1,000.' Taking advantage of the opportunity, Apple has its patent strategy aimed squarely at the number one rival to its iOS mobile operating system, Android, which is now embedded in 40 percent of all U.S. smartphones (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2390480,00.asp) compared to Apple's 26.6 percent. Apple's lawyers have been aggressively suing Android manufacturers HTC (http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/07/12/0144237/Apple-Wants-To-Block-Some-HTC-Products-From-US-Under-Tariff-Act-of-1930) and Samsung (http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/04/18/2053241/Apple-Sues-Samsung-Over-Galaxy-Phones-and-Tablets) for various technologies, from the 'look and feel' to how it connects to broadband networks. A recently published article takes a deep dive into the lawsuits' possible outcomes and their effect on end users (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2390536,00.asp).

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/08/08/1741235/What-If-Android-Lost-the-Patent-War