Apple, Research in Motion (BlackBerry) and Microsoft are part of a consortium of six companies, with EMC Corp., Ericsson and Sony, which got their hands on the latest patents of the telecoms equipment maker Nortel. The acquisition represents $ 4.5 billion (3.10 billion euros), after an auction that has ruled Google and Intel.
Telecommunications giant to the Internet bubble burst, Nortel filed for bankruptcy in January 2009 and has since liquidated most of its assets, raising about $ 3.2 billion.
Nortel has just sold his latest portfolio of more than 6000 patents and patent applications related to Internet and wireless technologies, the most popular on the Internet technology mobile broadband which feature the latest models of smartphones 4G.
The sale of these patents had attracted the attention of the biggest technology groups, including Google, which opened the bidding in April by offering $ 900 million. RIM has provided approximately $ 770 million to buy bulk, while Ericsson has provided $ 340 million, the companies noted in separate statements. The sale must still be approved by the U.S. justice system and the Canadian justice system, at a joint hearing scheduled July 11.
A patent war is underway among the leading manufacturers in mobile telephony, the industry heavyweights, including Nokia, Samsung or Apple, accusing each other of patent infringement. Latest episode: in response to a complaint from Apple, Samsung has in turn filed a complaint against his rival - and partner in the chips - and requested to discontinue importing iPhone and iPad United States this weeks.
