It looks like Intel may be ready to play its hand in the InterDigital patent game, as Google appears to be losing interest. According to Bloomberg. You’ll likely remember back in August when we reported that Apple, Nokia and Samsung were all showing interest in the patents, but we also said that you couldn’t rule out Google. It appears, though, that Google’s interest is waning.
InterDigital holds 8,800 patents, covering everything from the iPhone, Android devices and even Blackberry devices from RIM. Bloomberg postulates that the selling price of the IP may go for the $5 billion range, which is likely why Google pulled out after agreeing to an acquisition of Motorola Mobility for $12 billion only a few weeks ago.
The patent acquisition would likely put Intel into a similar position as what Microsoft holds. At the moment, Microsoft makes royalties from every Android phone on the market and it is likely that this move from Intel is an IP buy to gather royalties and boost the company’s bottom line.
This is a developing story. More to come. Refresh for updates.
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