Nortel sells patents for USD 4.5 billion

News General Global 1 JUL 2011
Nortel sells patents for USD 4.5 billion
A consortium of leading industry players has won the auction to buy Nortel Networks patent portfolio for USD 4.5 billion. The consortium consists of Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, Research In Motion and Sony. The group beat the starting bid from Google of USD 900 million. The sale includes more than 6,000 patents and patent applications spanning mobile, 4G, data networking, optical, voice, internet, service provider, semiconductors and other patents. The extensive patent portfolio touches nearly every aspect of telecommunications and additional markets as well, including internet search and social networking. The sale is subject to court approval and is expected to close in Q3. RIM said its portion of the purchase price is USD 770 million, while Ericsson said it will pay USD 340 million.

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General

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Apple,  Microsoft,  EMC,  Google,  Research In Motion,  Sony,  Nortel Networks

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Global

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Components, Devices, Wholesale, M&A buyouts & divestments, Research and development

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