Apple and Google spent more on patent lawsuits and patent acquisitions last year than research and development.
This sheer amount of money each company has wasted in courtrooms across the world is staggering. The gem of information detailing just how much each company is spending was more an afterthought in a larger New York Times piece detailing problems with the current U.S. patent system.
"Last year, for the first time, spending by Apple and Google on patent lawsuits and unusually big-dollar patent purchases exceeded spending on research and development of new products, according to public filings." — The New York Times
But Apple has been hard to pin down, said one person from Google who was not authorized to speak publicly. "Sometimes they're asking for money. Then they say we have to promise to not copy aspects of the iPhone. And whenever we get close to an agreement, it all changes again.
"Our feeling is they don't really want this to end. As long as everyone is distracted by these trials, the iPhone continues to sell." — NYT
"Our feeling is they don't really want this to end. As long as everyone is distracted by these trials, the iPhone continues to sell." — NYT
Apple’s patent strategy is equally relentless. Apple literally spams the patent office with patent submissions until the underfunded and overworked patent office finally caves in and grants Apple the patent. Siri is the perfect example, as Apple re-submitted its Siri patent eight times before the patent office granted Apple the patent.
The current state of patent law, and the tech industry have created a dangerous environment in which courtrooms dictate the future of companies instead of research and development.
Source: NYT [via Gizmodo]
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