Apple and Google have joined forces to offer more than USD 500 million to buy Eastman Kodak's patents out of bankruptcy, people familiar with the situation told Bloomberg. They previously led two separate groups bidding for the around 1,100 patents earlier this year. The Apple-led group pursuing Kodak's patents included Microsoft and Intellectual Ventures Management, while Google's partners included patent-aggregation company RPX and Asian makers of Google's Android phones, according to the report. The two groups had separately offered less than USD 500 million for Kodak's portfolio. They now teamed up to offer more together, said two of the people.
