Apple Looks to Buy an Additional $5 Billion Worth of Patents

Apple is reportedly considering the purchase of InterDigital's patent portfolio after being approached to make a bid, says Bloomberg.

The company has reported hired bankers to make a sale with Apple, Google, Samsung and others being potential buyers. InterDigital holds patents related to mobile technologies used to transfer information.

InterDigital's engineers invented some of the technology for high-speed mobile phone networks now used by the world's biggest handset makers. The King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based company may fetch more than $5 billion, according to analysts at Algorithm Capital and Dougherty & Co. Eastman Kodak Co. (EK) and other companies also are selling their patent portfolios.


Apple recently spent $2.6 billion on its winning bid for Nortel's patents. A move which is considered as a blow to Google and their Android operating system.

Bloomberg suggests Samsung may be forced to bid on these patents to fend off Apple in the legal battle between the two companies.

"InterDigital has a lot of key patents," Lee Seung Woo, a Seoul-based analyst at Shinyoung Securities Co., said by telephone. "The fight between Apple and Samsung is getting serious, so if the assets go to Apple, it could be pretty risky for Samsung. To hedge the risk, Samsung could go ahead with bidding, although they may have to pay a big premium."

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