From Jeff Tucker on the Mises Blog:

Bundle and Sell These Units of Extortion Protection

July 20, 2011 by Jeffrey Tucker

Just think how far we’ve come from the endlessly debated but completed abstract notion of “intellectual property.” This is how the racket works in the real world:

Google, which owns the fast-growing Android operating system used in millions of mobile phones, has a thin portfolio of wireless and telecommunications patents. That makes the Internet search giant vulnerable to patent-infringement lawsuits.

The acquisition of InterDigital’s intellectual property could help insulate Google’s Android franchise from a growing number of lawsuits against device makers such as Samsung Electronics Co., HTC Corp. and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., which use the software to power their smartphones and tablet computers.