You may remember a while back I wrote about Vocaltec selling some of its patents to what appears to be a firm that will become a patent troll. This scenario is becoming more and more common... Companies are now launching businesses based on buying patents and using them to sue others.
In order to combat such companies, Verizon, Cisco, Google, Telefon AB L.M., Ericssson, HP and other companies have joined together to launch Allied Security Trust -- an organization which will acquire patents and subsequently grant member companies nonexclusive rights to use them.
A quarter million dollars or so will grant you access to this exclusive patent club and another $5 million is required to be placed in escrow to help fund future patent purchases.
There are two interesting points here. One is the fact that there are a number of telecom companies in this group and second is the fact that Verizon sued Vonage recently for patent infringement. Does this seem ironic to anyone else?
The end result of these moves is likely going to be a bidding war for patents. On the one hand there will be VC money fighting to buy patents and on the other it will be Allied Security Trust.
If anything, this environment will make it more lucrative for companies with valuable patents to sell. This new battle will certainly be interesting to watch.
In order to combat such companies, Verizon, Cisco, Google, Telefon AB L.M., Ericssson, HP and other companies have joined together to launch Allied Security Trust -- an organization which will acquire patents and subsequently grant member companies nonexclusive rights to use them.
A quarter million dollars or so will grant you access to this exclusive patent club and another $5 million is required to be placed in escrow to help fund future patent purchases.
There are two interesting points here. One is the fact that there are a number of telecom companies in this group and second is the fact that Verizon sued Vonage recently for patent infringement. Does this seem ironic to anyone else?
The end result of these moves is likely going to be a bidding war for patents. On the one hand there will be VC money fighting to buy patents and on the other it will be Allied Security Trust.
If anything, this environment will make it more lucrative for companies with valuable patents to sell. This new battle will certainly be interesting to watch.
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Hello,
I am a patent holder for the Internet Billing engine. So when are these guys going to contact me?
Considering if this gets to be taken to court in Texas, then every and I mean every company, business, individual that charges for ''any'' internet utilization is in infringement.
It's a small price tag being requested, considering the potential revenue is already calculated to 14 Trillion Dollars for USA, Europe, not including India or China pop. density markets.
Feel free to inquire and make a reasonable offer, current speculators are Microsft, Oracle and the German Telekom forum of companies. I'm still open to negotiate.
Thank you.
Ed Rose
As an amateur observer on these matter - I'm a technical manager in large semiconductor corporation - I think there are antitrust and restraint of trade issues with this group. Intellectual property is property, albeit without the annoyance of property taxes. The acquisition of property by a large group of large companies for the expressed purpose of denying others the opportunity to possess it is clearly restraint of trade.
The current Federal administration might not bring the anti-trust action, but someone will notice when it becomes impossible for folks not in the Allied Security Trust to bring a product to market.
If these companies were serious about protecting industry from IP abuse, they would acquire these essential patents and place them in the public domain, granting non-exclusive licensing to anyone willing to join for a small membership fee. If the Allied Security Trust is already open like this, then they are doing good for society. If not, intervention may be necessary.
Companies like to have it both ways. They use monopoly rights to their "inventions" to block competitors while labeling small owners of intellectual property as 'trolls'. Patent trolls are the natural consequence of the patent law that large companies have created.
Rational intellectual property policy (IP property taxes, reasonable time limits, a stricter criteria for non-obviousness, etc.) would make it harder for companies (large and small) to rest on their IP laurels.
This is just my first impression. I look forward to learning more about this new development.