Google has yet again bombarded Microsoft with a reply to the tweets which here made by two of the senior officials of Microsoft. Recently David Drummond, Google’s Chief Legal Officer had said that Oracle, Apple, Microsoft and others where trying to use bogus patents to ruin Android’s future. In response, Microsoft’s General Counsel Brad Smith and Head of Communications Frank Shaw, had tweeted their thoughts opposing the comment made by Drummond. To their tweets, Google has come back with a stronger reply. It looks like the ‘war of words’ would never end between these giants.
Drummond had posted that the collaboration of the biggies were involved in acquiring Novell and Nortel patents jointly, so that Android’s future would be ruined. Replying to this post, Brad tweeted, “Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no.” on the other hand, Shaw had his own innovative way to oppose the coment with his tweet. He tweeted, “Free advice for David Drummond – next time check with Kent Walker before you blog.” General Counsel for Google, Kent Walker had turned down Microsoft’s offer to jointly bid for Novell patents and Kent’s response of the e-mail was even published as for proof.
Google says that there were quite a few obvious reasons because of which Google chose not to bid jointly with Microsoft. Drummond addressed the pantsing by updating his post wherein he said that he wasn’t surprised that the Software Giant has tried to change the course of his blog post by making a false “gotcha!”. He continued saying that Microsoft’s senior officials had failed to connect on the actual meaning of the issue which was raised by Google.
Google said that the Software Giant’s main objective behind entering for Novell patent bid jointly was that Android device-maker and Google on the whole should be prevented from any patent which could help them defend themselves. Any acquisition jointly with Microsoft would have mean that Google’s protection for Android would be lost and Microsoft and others who were a part of the bidding would had easily attacked Android. Microsoft’s this plan failed to lure Google into a partnership and in a bid to make Google pay, this strategy was adopted by competitor. Drummond indirectly termed Microsoft’s joint acquisition a trick which failed.
But the bottom line is that Microsoft still has them and Google is not even a joint holder too. But Google’s fortune is still with a smiling face as the court intervened in the joint deal and the Software Giant was forced to sell their patents which finally ended in the hands of the other joint members. But that joint acquisition offer from Microsoft would help the Software Giant to get some benefit points to prove that there aren’t trying to kill Android.
DOJ was even eying the latest bidding which took place for Nortel patents. Apple was given a clean chit for the case, but Microsoft is still hoping to get one too as again it has an advantage that it had a licensing agreement over the patents.
Looking at the patent war, it can be said the 1st part (Novell patent) and 2nd part (Nortel patent) is over but the 3rd one is still to come. InterDigital patents have big names like Apple and Google competing to acquire these patents. Monetarily, Nortel patents had 6000 patents and were bid for 4.5 billion USD, InterDigital has 8800 patents up for grab.