In a note to clients — as reported by “Barron’s” (http://macte.ch/Zew1r) — Jefferies & Company analyst Peter Misek says Apple may be interested in acquiring the patents of Nokia, Research in Motion or InterDigital (IDCC) as part of a “patent war” following Google’s announcement that it will buy Motorola Mobility for US$12.5 billion.
He estimates RIM’s patent portfolio has been amassed by the company at a cost of $5 billion. The primary attraction as far as RIM’s portfolio would be patents held on “critical security” and the “network operations center” and related infrastructure technology, he adds. InterDigital’s patent trove is difficult to value because of the many cross-licensing deals the company has been engaged in, the analyst opines.
“Of course, Misek doesn’t say Apple would buy the companies outright, though it is hard to imagine any of the firms simply parting with their patent holdings and continuing as a going concern,” notes “Barron’s.”