在接到一連串由蘋果(Apple)、微軟(Microsoft)、甲骨文(Oracle)和多家亟欲削弱Android影響力的公司所組成的團體所提起的涉嫌侵犯專利訴訟后，Google終于出聲反擊。 Google法務長David Drummond日前在該公司的Blog中撰文指出，對手正試圖阻礙 Android的成長和普及，這些對手并不是經(jīng)由正常管道在市場上競爭，而是透過‘有組織的活動’來進行競爭，包括發(fā)起‘假’的專利侵權訴訟在內(nèi)，更重要的是，這些公司聯(lián)合起來，用極高的價格來取得專利。 對一位資深的企業(yè)主管，特別是該公司的最高顧問來說，這個舉動頗不尋常。盡管Google并未明確表示該公司是否擔憂無法成功地為自己辯護，但很明顯，Google很擔心法律糾紛可能危害到 Android 的推廣。 Drummond表示，這些專利侵權指控都是一些詭計。他指出，這些競爭對手之所以將Google拖上法庭，并不是他們真的認為Google侵犯了他們的專利，而是因為他們想遏止Android的快速成長?！癆ndroid是當前最熱門的操作系統(tǒng)，”Drummond說?！懊恳惶欤加谐^55萬個 Android 設備經(jīng)由全球39家制造商和231家電信業(yè)者的供應網(wǎng)絡問世?！? 這無疑是一個陰謀。Google如此指控蘋果和微軟，特別是因為他們共謀削弱Android的影響力，因為他們擔心，如果任由Android發(fā)展，最終這個新興的操作系統(tǒng)可能危及他們的市場占有率。除了訴諸法律，Drummond也對這些公司合作取得北電專利的做法表示意見?！拔乙呀?jīng)在科技領域工作超過20年了。微軟和蘋果一直都想掐死對方，因此，當他們開始牽手合作時，你必須仔細思考究竟是怎么回事?！? Drummond認為，蘋果和微軟無法變成真正的朋友。然而，他們卻提出了與其它公司(不包含Google)合作，共同透過CPTN Holdings LLC公司合作競標北電專利的方式。CPTN Holdings LLC由蘋果、EMC、甲骨文和微軟等公司掌控。甚至連美國司法部都對這項交易有疑慮，因而施加了一些條件迫使北電修改了交易條款。 本文下一頁：蘋果和微軟聯(lián)盟的意義

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{pagination} 或許有人會夸大蘋果和微軟聯(lián)盟的意義，但這兩家公司過去曾經(jīng)合作，未來也很可能會再度合作，此外，他們今天仍在無線手機市場激烈競爭，微軟也與蘋果的競爭對手諾基亞聯(lián)手，以提供其Windows操作系統(tǒng)手機。但盡管如此，看到蘋果和微軟在手機領域密切合作仍然不可思議。觀察這些公司如何向監(jiān)管機構解釋將會相當有趣。 無論是現(xiàn)在或未來，專利費用都會居高不下。Google指出，透過匯聚資源不斷競標專利，蘋果及其合作伙伴們正在拉高專利成本。(現(xiàn)在你知道為何蘋果并不熱衷于支付股息、回購股份，或?qū)ふ移渌擅罘绞絹硪妻D(zhuǎn)其750億美元現(xiàn)金中的一部份給股東。) Drummond在他的Blog中表示，“此次北電專利以45億美元得標，是原先所估計金額10億美元的近5倍之多?！? 好吧，他可能有他的道理，但Google也可以提出更高的競標金額或是與其它投標廠商攜手合作。而且，憑借著390億美元的現(xiàn)金和短期投資，Google必然不缺錢。那么，為何不嘗試與蘋果和微軟競標？這是因為“為了不妨礙商業(yè)競爭，法律上并不認可囤積具爭議性之專利的行為──這意味著這些專利交易很可能會受到監(jiān)管機構的嚴格審察，且很可能引發(fā)所謂的專利泡沫，”Drummond說。 不過，Google也沒有停滯不前。事實上，該公司表示正在為取得專利而努力，而且這將有助于“為選擇Android的客戶確保競爭力?！贝_實，Google擁有財力、精明的管理，以及足夠的OEM和電信業(yè)作為其發(fā)展Android系統(tǒng)的合作伙伴，以抵御來自蘋果-甲骨文-微軟的壓力。然而，這家公司是否也天真地忽略了來自對手陣營的反對力量？ Drummond的強烈抗議對于企業(yè)律師來說可能并不尋常，但我同意他的看法，如果采用Android的OEM將被迫支付懲罰性的授權費，那么，“消費者可能面臨Android手機售價上揚，且可選擇產(chǎn)品更少的情況。” 你認為呢？歡迎和我們一起討論！ 編譯： Joy Teng 本文授權編譯自EBN Online，版權所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 參考英文原文： Google Cries Foul Over 'Bogus' Patents，by Bolaji Ojo, Editor in Chief

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{pagination} Google Cries Foul Over 'Bogus' Patents Bolaji Ojo, Editor in Chief The ink wasn't even close to drying on my last blog when executives at Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) cried out about the barrage of lawsuits they've received for allegedly violating patents held by Apple, Microsoft, Oracle and a group of companies seeking to clip the wings of its Android operating system. (See: Brawling OEMs & a Broken Patents System.) David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer, complained in a blog on the company's site that rivals were trying to impede the growth and adoption of Android, not through normal market dynamics as one would expect, but through an "organized campaign" that includes "bogus" patent violation lawsuits and, more importantly, by banding together to pay inflated prices for IP held by other companies. This was an unusual step for a senior corporate executive, especially for a firm's top counsel. While Google did not explicitly express concerns it might not be able to successfully defend itself, it's obvious the company is worried the legal wrangling could hurt adoption of Android. Here are the key points of Drummond's argument: 1. The alleged patent violations are a ruse. Drummond insists Google's rivals have dragged the company to court, not because they really believe it has violated their patents, but because they want to curb Android's rapid growth. "Android is on fire," Drummond said. "More than 550,000 Android devices are activated every day, through a network of 39 manufacturers and 231 carriers." 2. It's a conspiracy. Google is charging Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) especially with conspiring to cripple Android because they are worried the operating system could decimate their market shares if left unchecked. Aside from the legal filings, Drummond points to actions by a group of companies that teamed together to acquire patents held by Nortel. "I have worked in the tech sector for over two decades. Microsoft and Apple have always been at each other's throats, so when they get into bed together you have to start wondering what's going on." He has a point; Apple and Microsoft cannot really be called two jolly friends. Yet they submitted and won a joint bid with other companies (excluding Google) to acquire patents held by Novell via a consortium known as CPTN Holdings LLC. The consortium is controlled by a group of tech companies that includes Apple, EMC, Oracle, and Microsoft. Even the US Justice Department was concerned about the transaction and imposed several conditions that forced Novell to alter the terms of the deal. One could overstate the significance of the alliance between Apple and Microsoft, however. The two companies have collaborated in the past -- and will most likely do so in future. Furthermore, they are still fierce rivals today in the wireless handset market, with Microsoft teaming up with Apple rival Nokia to offer its Windows operating system for cellular phones. Still, it boggles the mind to see the close cooperation between Apple and Microsoft in the handset sector. It would be interesting to see how the companies explain this to regulators. 3. Higher patents costs now and in the future. Google is also alleging that by pooling resources to bid for patents, Apple and its corporate partners have been driving up the cost of patents. (Now you know why Apple isn't too keen on paying dividends, buying back shares, or finding other ingenious ways to transfer some of its $75 billion cash to shareholders.) "The winning $4.5 billion for Nortel's patent portfolio was nearly five times larger than the pre-auction estimate of $1 billion," Drummond said in his blog. OK, he may have a point, but Google could have submitted a higher bid or teamed up with other bidders. And, with $39 billion in cash and short-term investments, Google is certainly not short of funds. So, why didn't it try to outbid Apple and Microsoft? Because "the law frowns on the accumulation of dubious patents for anti-competitive means -- which means these deals are likely to draw regulatory scrutiny, and this patent bubble will pop," according to Drummond. Google isn't standing still. The company said it is working on acquiring patents that would help "preserve Android as a competitive choice for consumers." The company has the financial muscle, the managerial savvy, and enough OEM and telecom service partners for its Android system to withstand the Apple-Oracle-Microsoft pressure. However, it would also be naïve to ignore the forces allied against it and the enormous firepower they are bringing to the battlefront. Drummond's outcry might be unconventional for a corporate lawyer, but I agree with him that if OEMs using Android are forced to pay punitive licensing fees, "consumers could face rising costs for Android devices -- and fewer choices for their next phone." What do you think?