Intel, Which Coined The Term 'Patent Troll', Makes Deal With Patent Troll To 'Monetize' Unused Patents (techdirt.com) 31
Mike Masnick, reporting for TechDirt: Intel recently announced that it was handing 5,000 patents off to IPValue, which (as it does in these kinds of deals) spun up a shell corporation called Tahoe Research Limited to go see who it can shake down over these patents. Usually, the way these deals work is that the company, Intel, gets some relatively modest amount of cash upfront, but also a piece of anything the troll can squeeze out of others. Considering these are basically zero value patents for Intel, the temptation must be great to at least get something out of them.
That's why... (Score:3)
Re: That's why... (Score:5, Insightful)
To me the path Intel takes tells me that the situation they are in is worse than they dare to admit.
Re: That's why... (Score:4, Insightful)
Probably. This is a move only complete scum and the desperate would do. And Intel did it.
Re: That's why... (Score:2)
Is it even worth doing now? Hasn't the life of patent trolls gotten more difficult now that it's harder for them to forum shop?
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I was beginning to think this was a Onion-type article until I found an independent news release on Businesswire. [businesswire.com]
The marketing director at IPValue should be fired. "Tahoe Research Limited"? Really? A company whose initials will be TRL? Who isn't going to see those initials for a patent-holding company and not try to pronounce them as Troll?
Someone at IPValue either has a wicked sense of humor, or is completely clueless.
This might not make the list of Top 10 worst business names [qualitylogoproducts.com], but it might rate an Hon
Same. (Score:4)
I had already decided that my next computer would be AMD since they have historically been more open-source friendly. Now I have another reason.
Re: (Score:2)
This could come back on Intel. "Dear Intel, we would like to discuss this patent suit. We purchase $x in Intel PCs per year. ..."
AMD and Intel are cross-licensed to the hilt. They can't do anything without each others patents. I believe most of the other major chip players (Nvidia, ARM, TSMC) are too. They should be safe.
Re: That's why... (Score:2)
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If the only choices I have is between bad and evil, I'll go with bad.
Re:Typical... (Score:5, Insightful)
Meg Whitman is a member of the American ruling class whose only accomplishments are based on her upbringing and social networks.
HP should have known that and should never have put her in the position they did.
Re:Typical... (Score:5, Informative)
Carly was the one who drove HP into the ground. Meg was just a nail in the coffin for Yahoo - not comparable at all.
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Will Pat be the one to drive Intel into the dirt like Meg did with HP?
Meg didn't drive HP into the dirt. Carly did. Meg just failed to get it out of the ditch.
Righthaven II Electric Boogaloo (Score:3)
This sounds eerily similar to Righthaven LLC and their copyright crusade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Please, intel, stop! (Score:3)
We already have more than enough reasons to avoid your CPUs and go with AMD instead!
Ryzen 7000 (Score:2)
Wow, I was on the fence due to AMD errata, but OK then.
I had to choose Intel or AMD (Score:1)
I am shocked, ... (Score:2)
Your winnings, sir.
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Reduce patent terms (Score:5, Interesting)
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At the pace things are going, even 10 years sounds pointless. If you can't extract value within 5 years, then you lose because after that it's obsolete anyway.
IP Address confusion (Score:2)
Some brand new marketing intern was told that IP addresses were valuable and to find and use a vendor to sell a block of IPs. The intern ran a single Google search for "IP value" and "IPValue" came up. Then they decided that must mean their manager wanted them to monetize Intel's patent portfolio and decided that since Intel wasn't leveraging some of the patents that it would be okay to make a deal with IPValue.
It's an honest mistake. Technology terms can be confusing. I get it. Not exactly the best wa
There oughtta be a law (Score:3)
If you didn't have a use for it, why did you patent it in the first fucking place? And since you have no use for it, it should be rescinded and made public.
Why aren't patent fees related to the filers' gross income to prevent shotgun patenting and squatting? (Gross to avoid sidestep accounting that claims no income due to double-Dutch Irish sandwich nonsense)
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Intel's still good for something (Score:2)
They make some really high-output space heaters.