Apparently starting to feel a little threatened, Google has filed a complaint with the European Comission accusing Microsoft and Nokia of colluding to raise the price of mobile devices, a move Microsoft calls 'desperate,' according to a statement given to PCMag. And while Nokia was silent, Google sees things a bit differently.
Google released the following statement on the complaint:
Nokia and Microsoft are colluding to raise the costs of mobile devices for consumers, creating patent trolls that side-step promises both companies have made. They should be held accountable, and we hope our complaint spurs others to look into these practices.
That's right; Google thinks that the folks at Nokia and Microsoft are creating patent trolls, which is even worse than being a patent troll. Microsoft, of course, sees things differently, claiming that Google's Android OS infringes upon numerous patents, and demanding that some device makers pay royalties on every device sold, as you probably already know. But this complaint goes a little bit further, targeting 2,000 patents sold by Nokia and Microsoft in September to a firm called MOSAID Technologies.
MOSAID, it so happens, specializes in collecting royalties on their patents, which, frankly, is kind of what a patent troll is. Google claims that the two sold the patents to MOSAID with the intention of creating problems for Mountain View, but Microsoft is just shaking its head, according to their statement:
Google is complaining about patents when it won't respond to growing concerns by regulators, elected officials and judges about its abuse of standard-essential patents, and it is complaining about antitrust in the smartphone industry when it controls more than 95 percent of mobile search and advertising.
As part of the terms of sale to MOSAID, Microsoft and Nokia each stand to gain a third of MOSAID's royalties, which could potentially add up to $3 billion over the next 10 years. All in all that's a pretty good sum, no matter how much money the companies are already making.
So, who's right, who's wrong? That's up to the European Commission, but we'll try and let you know when they make a decision. In the meantime, you can let us know what you think below, and read up on Google's own patent problems.
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