back to article Google files EU complaint over Nokia/Microsoft patent trolling

Google has lodged a complaint with the European Commission over Microsoft and Nokia’s patent activities. In a statement sent to El Reg, a SpokesGoogler said “We haven't shared the complaint with anyone -- it's not customary to make these docs public,” but offered the official line that: “Nokia and Microsoft are colluding to …

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  1. Blarkon

    Google's Biz Model

    In the long run China and India are going to do to Google what Google has done to everyone else. Bruce Sterling even had this in one of his novels - where China and India said "cool, IP doesn't matter" - and just steal it wholesale and wiped out the US economy as you can't have a knowledge economy without some sort of value on knowledge. Google doesn't believe that inventors should be rewarded financially for their effort and they are happy to destroy the emerging information economy pursuing the freetard jihad.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Google's Biz Model

      You can always use Google Ads revenue for your content, should be enough for a small bowl of rice a month or so.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Google's Biz Model

      What Google are complaining about here is the same situation there is over the Nortel patents. Company x states publically or to the FTC that it wont do specific things and then transfers the patents and new owner then goes off and does said things and says "we never made such promises".

    3. imanidiot Silver badge

      Re: Google's Biz Model

      Google does believe the [b]inventor{/b} should be rewarded. However, and I have to agree with google a bit here, patent trolls are not the inventors.

      The current IP system has completely missed the point of why we want patents and protection of IP. The patent was not started to protect the IP! It's there to allow the inventor to monetize his invention before others get a chance to do so. The whole point of patents was to make everything about an invention known to the world. Once the inventor got his business going he shouldn't need the patent, thus it becomes obsolete and the invention becomes public domain.

      You want to know what is really stifling innovation right now? Patent trolls and the needlessly vague and non-specific patents they enforce.

      1. g e
        Holmes

        Re: Google's Biz Model

        Exactly why you should be able to demonstrate you're *implementing* your patents to be able to protect them.

        If you didn't invent it and you aren't utilising it in product, which given that you're probably sitting in an apartment in Florida with a PC and a Ferrari parked outside rather than in a management office in a company making real things, then you lose the right to defend it until such time as you're judged to be utilising and then from that point in time only (i.e. not retrospectively) you're allowed to pursue others for infringement.

        Yeah, I know. Too sensible. Politicians would lose too many kickbacks if implemented.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Google's Biz Model

          On the face of it, you're kind of right, but consider this:

          I, mad scientist in bunker, invent something awesome, like a time machine or some shit like that. I patent it and start selling the Time Portal Deluxe 1000. The patent system is there to protect me from companies ripping off my work, and it's supposed to give me a few years to milk the benefits as a reward for my work.

          Now, do you want me to:

          a) Improve the machine, invent new stuff and be generally awesome!

          b) Spend the next 10 years in patent courts, only to go bankrupt and insane before the first case has gone through it's 8th appeal while a dozen chinese companies churn out a Tinne Porlal Oeluxe 1000 for peanuts?

          If you want a) then there's an easy fix: I sell the patent to an IP licensing company for a few billion. They sue anyone who uses my work without permission, and license it to anyone who wants to build a clone the legal way.

          That company is a 'patent troll', but I'd say they were a good troll, and a good thing for the market and for progress.

          On the other hand you have the shitty trolls that buy up 2nd-rate, likely-invalid, totally-obvious patents and then sue people who can't afford millions in lawyers fees to defend themselves. They might not take a license but who cares if you can take their house, car, business etc. and sell them? These are the ones we want to get rid of.

          1. Kristian Walsh Silver badge

            Re: Google's Biz Model

            "Google does believe the [b]inventor[/b] should be rewarded."

            ... so long as they're not inventing movies, music, or other creative works. I arrive at this conclusion only by seeing what's available on YouTube, and who serves the ads on those "view these pages before your download starts" pages on file-sharing sites.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Love it. Google whinning because they are having to pay to use stuff that other people have created, rather than just stealing it. And this, they claim is 'bad for consumers'? Bad for Googles profit margins more like. Hah hah.

    MS are running rings around Google at the moment in terms business strategy. It is very funny to watch.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Jim, shut up. Go back to redmond, you're not funny any more.

    2. william 10
      Pirate

      Google's complaint is that they are having to pay for PIRATED goods. Look at the Oracle/Google case only two out of seven Patents where valid and then it did not infringe on the last two.

    3. Franklin
      Thumb Down

      "Google whinning because they are having to pay to use stuff that other people have created, rather than just stealing it."

      Did we read the same article? Because I could have sworn the article I read was about Google whining because other companies said "We won't use our patents to squeeze money out of you," and then slipped the patents to other folks who...use them to squeeze money out of people.

      Which, I have to admit, is a fair thing to be whining about.

      It's not that patents exist, it's not that patents are licensed, it's not even that patents are used to make money--it's that (some) patent holders dishonestly pledge one thing and then do something else.

      At least, that's what the article I read was about. What article you're referring to is something that's unclear to me.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Really?

      I mean really?

      Look at Windows Phone disaster.

      Look at Windows 8 disaster

      Look at Kinect disaster

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Re: "MS are running rings around Google at the moment... "

      Given the market performance of WP7, and the user reactions to Win 8, the only thing that MS are circling at the moment is the drain.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What...

    Is a 'Nokia' ?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What...

      Nokia used to be a very large,profitable and popular Finnish phone maker that was about to release an excellent linux based phone OS. However due to some corporate stupidity they decided to employ an ex-Microsoft worker who proceeded to do an Osborne/Ratner and bring it to it's knees by taking MS's bribe money to use 1/2 arsed phone OS called WP7 instead.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What... Is a 'Nokia' ?

      I think it's a make of tyre.

  4. mhenriday
    Big Brother

    Competition by means of lawyer

    has been allowed to trump competition by way of engineer and competition by means of inventor. Is anyone who has followed the decline of US politics from the Ronald Wilson Reagon presidency onwards surprised ?...

    Strike Vomit, they (Nokia) used to make quite good Wellingtons (rubber boots) as well. Sic transit gloria mundi (finlandiæ)....

    Henri

  5. JaitcH
    WTF?

    One day, hopefully soon ...

    the governmental authorities will get together and write a unitary patent policy under the auspices of the WTO.

    They should limit certain patents to 5 years, which is a lifetime in electronics, a from being protected.nd stop idiotic filings such as pixels in the corner of screens, etc.

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