This update is not so much infringement and copyright (although I have overplayed this term in recent posts), but more stupidity. Companies are going crazy about patents. At the moment, they are the most valuable thing a company can have, and I totally agree with that. Every company has the right to protect their ideas. What I classify as stupidity is when companies claim and create thousands of patents that do not actually deserve to be patented. I cannot think of any off the top of my head, but I have read a lot of CNN and BBC Tech news recently!
Look at Google for a sec. They have just bided $900 for the patent portfolio of Nortel Networks, a Canadian HARDWARE manufacturer. $900 for hardware patents? Google do not even make hardware! It would have made much more sense for Google to invest that $900 in product development or, dare I say, a charity? The Red Cross could preform miracles with $900 of Googles disposable income. A company like Nokia or HTC would benefit much more by owning these patents, and they think so too. The maximum bid for the portfolio is estimated at $2b! Wow.
All these law suits and useless patents will stifle innovation one day in the future.
Here is the link to the BBC news article, from where I got this information.
