Apple and Nokia, along with Qualcomm and several other companies, are weighing bids for InterDigital Inc in order to scoop up its trove of patents for wireless tech, reports Reuters. The company is up for sale and is proceeding with its auction.The news that Apple and Nokia are interested in the roughly 8,800 patents available from a purchase of InterDigital isn’t in itself all that surprising. Many have viewed the InterDigital auction as the next big patent hoarding battleground for some time now. The altered variable now is Google’s announcement of its purchase of Motorola Mobility, and its 17,000+ patents, on Monday.
InterDigital bills itself as the developer of “fundamental wireless technologies that are at the core of mobile devices, networks and services worldwide.” The company holds about 8,800 U.S. and foreign patents, with 10,000 more in process around the world. Is anyone else getting as tired of hearing about patents as I am?