Apple, Intel and Ericsson are among the companies that will bid against Google for Nortel's patent portfolio, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. RPX, a firm that defensively buys up patents on behalf of other companies to stop them from being used against them by investors, was also accepted as a qualified bidder. Google already received antitrust clearance from the US Justice Department for its bid, according to the paper's sources. Nortel's one-week delay in the auction date will allow other bidders a chance to advance their own discussions with the regulator.
