Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/87774
Year of Publication: 
2012
Series/Report no.: 
ETLA Discussion Papers No. 1288
Publisher: 
The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA), Helsinki
Abstract: 
This article investigates how current global intellectual property (IP) litigation provides insight into the competitive landscape of mobile internet, the strategic thinking processes of firms, and the old mobile telecommunications incumbents and new entrants from internet that are vying for space in the new world of mobile internet. To understand the contemporary industry of smart devices, we used the latest IP litigation data from the U.S. to illustrate how the world of essential patents (i.e., the old incumbents in mobile telecommunications) and the world of platform patents (i.e., the new entrants into mobile internet) have become two complementary areas of technology. This analysis addresses the necessity for understanding the firms involved in IP litigation cases for smart devices in particular and the corresponding patents these firms use in current global IP litigation. This article provides evidence that elucidates the current turmoil in mobile telecommunications; identifies the valuable patents, corresponding patent categories and technology areas; and discusses and analyzes the competitive landscape of mobile internet through the eyes of IP litigation and IP acquisitions. Furthermore, we provide additional evidence that the patent acquisitions by Apple, Google, and Microsoft changed the nature of their ownership of different technologies and important patents in the world of essential patents.
Subjects: 
Apple
Google
Microsoft
Nokia
ICT
Intellectual Property (IP)
IP Litigation
IP Acquisitions
JEL: 
K4
K41
L25
L8
L86
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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