According to the Dow Jones Newswires (Nasdaq) Apple could be extending a very expensive olive branch to Samsung and Motorola in an effort to end the their ongoing patent war.
Thus far the patent war between the three companies has nothing to show except a few minor victories, massive legal expenses, and continued efforts by everyone involved to win something. But, the efforts to pull out a massive patent victory appear to be caught in a never-ending cycle of appeals and quick fixes, which only lead to more lawsuits.
To end all the craziness Apple is asking for $5 to $15 per handset licensing fee for some of its patents. This equates to between 1% and 2.5% of net sales depending on the device. Motorola has already been widely criticized for asking 2.25% in a separate FRAND licensing fiasco with Apple.
Apple would love to win a massive legal victory in a major market that forces one of its Android handset competitors to settle under less favorable terms, but that outcome looks to be increasingly unlikely. Instead Apple is willing settle for a “deal” could seemingly end the patent war between three of the largest handset providers in the world.
Licensing technologies is nothing new. Hopefully everyone involved realizes this and puts an end to senseless intellectual property battles.
Source: Nasdaq [via CNET]
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