Apple and Microsoft Team Up Against Google, Samsung, Others for Kodak's Patents

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Posted July 27, 2012 at 9:09pm by iClarified

Apple and Microsoft have teamed up against Google, Samsung, and others to win an auction for Kodak's patents, reports the WSJ.

Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., and Intellectual Ventures Management LLC, a patent-aggregation firm, are teaming to form one bidding group, the people said. The other consortium includes Google Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc., HTC Corp., and another patent aggregation firm, RPX Corp., the people said.

The people familiar with the discussions cautioned that work on bids could continue over the weekend, with alliances changing and other bidders potentially emerging.

Kodak is holding the auction for its trove of 1,100 patents as part of the company's bankruptcy proceedings. The initial bid deadline is on Monday.

The WSJ notes that the patents being sold are divided into two lots: the digital capture portfolio related to capturing and processing images on cameras, smartphones and tablets; and the Kodak Imaging Systems and Services patents related to storing and analyzing images, among other things.

Kodak suggests the patents are worth $2.6 billion combined but is unlikely to get that much for them.

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Apple and Microsoft Team Up Against Google, Samsung, Others for Kodak's Patents

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rudyy - July 28, 2012 at 5:22pm

Yawn

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tdtran1025 - July 27, 2012 at 11:09pm

I have posted here last week about the possibility of Apple going to bed with MS on different issues in light of current war against Google. One of the most pertinent and upcoming issue is search engine for Siri. Many reader of this forum have noticed the poor performance of Siri compared to Google. The other is the soon-to-be-released map with iOS 6, in which I suspect Apple will use Bing for the search function. On surface, one would think the marriage is unlikely; but history between the two companies indicated to the contrary. As long as the OSes are completely different, there is plenty of room for both companies to flourish. It's the zealous adopters of one particular platform driving the anti sentiment towards the other. To Apple, Google is the eternal enemy, and Jobs made his last wish to the any incoming CEOs to spend the necessary fund to crush that empire. It will a long saga, ladies and gentlemen. What I can predict is Google will shrink, simply because their income base comes mostly from search advertising. MS caught up with G pretty well with Bing. Other than that, G has failed in all other products that could bring in money, from. voice call, email, and else. Android is adopted well because it is a free product. Sure G is trying to to get into phone handset business, but who succeeds in this besides Samsung. G cannot design any decent hardware on their own. They can always bring in a new team with tops dogs. Yet who's going to lead such team? Besides, other handset makers are struggling to surve-RIM, Nokia, and the likes. I sure would love to see MS regain some glory. Its better for the balance of power. Another thing is that MS needs, from here on out, to design their own hardware as the valu-added products. The days of selling just OSes are over, for most of them can be had for practically free, unlike the $300 MS used to get for Windows Ultimate.

Joe - July 28, 2012 at 12:04am

Very well said (or typed in this case) you hit a lot of nails on their heads with the above post.

Joe - July 27, 2012 at 10:39pm

Never thought I would see the day. MS and Apple :-o

joyz - July 28, 2012 at 11:31pm

Ole Bill gates bailed out apple back in the 90s when Apple sans SJ was going tits up with his office software

ratGT - July 27, 2012 at 10:20pm

Apple and Microsoft teaming up (even just for this case)... Wow, who would have thought of that 10 years ago... Time are REALLY changing!...

joyz - July 27, 2012 at 9:21pm

Apple NOW is the time to outbid them fooks! Now is the time to use the 100 billion war chest!! As they say in poker "go all in"!