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Comment by exhilaration | Hacker News Reader

Hopefully its bought by a Microsoft/Google consortium and very liberally cross licensed

I don't think such a consortium exists, Microsoft and Google are usually on opposite sides. Microsoft (along with Apple/RIM/others) bought the Nortel patents in 2011 and sued Google, Samsung, Huawei, and others. Google bought Motorola and its patents the same year and sued Microsoft. Patents are weaponized as soon as these companies acquire them.

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That patent war was started by Microsoft under Steve Ballmer and both companies dropped it after Satya Nadella took over. I genuinely don't believe Microsoft under Nadella would go to patent war except defensively. Everything I've read about Ballmer leads me to believe he definitely shares similarities to the stereotype of the businessman trying to squeeze out as much money as possible.

I think it's the sales mentality - you work with the product you have, today, to get the deal done today/this quarter.

Not great for the ten-year plan, but those are a luxury of companies with lots of products selling today.

And, perhaps not surprisingly, Ballmer didn't last much over ten years as CEO and left MS in a very precarious position when he did leave.

Far stranger things have happened this year. Although, you're probably right - there will likely be big bucks involved in fighting over it. If a troll acquires those patents it would be dreadful news for everyone involved. I'd honestly rather see Microsoft or Google in charge of them.

> Google bought Motorola and its patents the same year and sued Microsoft

Google bought Motorola and continued the lawsuits already started by them

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