[RockdaMan]

Consortium led by Apple buys Nortel's patents for $4.5 billion
Google's Android operating system is the big loser as 6,000 patents fall into enemy hands

In the largest exchange of intellectual property rights in the Internet age, a powerhouse consortium led by Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) has agreed to buy from the bankrupt Nortel Corp. access to more than 6,000 patents covering key telecommunications technologies, from Internet services to wireless data networking.

"No major industry player is as needy in terms of patents as Google," wrote FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller after Nortel announced the results of the sale late Thursday. "There are already 45 patent infringement lawsuits surrounding Android, and makers of Android-based devices have to pay royalties to dozens of right holders."

In January Mueller called Android a "suit magnet," and subsequent events have proved him right. He summarized the latest round of litigation and licensing agreements in an analysis published earlier this week.

"In light of Android's patent problems it's surprising that Google didn't outbid everyone else," he wrote Friday. "It could have afforded more than $4.5 billion but it doesn't appear to be truly committed to Android."

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/07/...r-4-5-billion/