Rockstar Consortium
| Company type | Consortium |
|---|---|
| Industry | Patent licensing |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Products | Patent licensing and enforcement |
| Owner | Apple Inc., BlackBerry, Ericsson, Microsoft, Sony |
Rockstar Consortium Inc., originally established as Rockstar Bidco, is a consortium created to manage the licensing of patents obtained from the bankrupt global telecommunications and networking equipment giant Nortel.[1] The consortium's members include prominent companies such as Apple Inc., BlackBerry, Ericsson, Microsoft, and Sony.[2] Operating as a patent-holding non-practicing entity (NPE), Rockstar secured the Nortel patents at a 2011 New York auction, winning with a bid of US$4.5 billion.[3]
Spherix Incorporated, founded by Gilbert Levin, purchased four mobile communication patent families from Rockstar through a transaction involving upfront cash payment and issuance of Spherix common stock.[4] Following this deal, Rockstar maintains entitlement to a share of future earnings after recouping its monetization expenses and initial investment returns.
In 2012, Business Insider ranked Rockstar as the third most powerful patent holder, frequently described by industry analysts as a "patent troll".[5][6]
By October 2013, Rockstar had initiated legal actions against eight companies, targeting key Android device manufacturers including Google, Huawei, Samsung, Asustek, HTC, LG Electronics, Pantech, and ZTE.[7]
In response, Google filed a countersuit against Rockstar in San Jose, California, in December 2013.[8] Reports indicate that by November 2014 the two parties had reached a settlement.[9]
Subsequently, in December 2014, Rockstar agreed to transfer about 4,000 patents to RPX Corporation, a defensive patent aggregation firm, for $900 million.[10]
See also
References
- ↑ "Rockstar Consortium Launches Patent Attacks". May 28, 2012.
- ↑ "Rockstar Consortium Receives Green Light From Department Of Justice" (PDF).
- ↑ "Star Man" (PDF).
- ↑ "Spherix Closes Rockstar Patent Acquisition Transaction" (PDF).
- ↑ "Tech's 8 Most Fearsome 'Patent Trolls'". Business Insider. 2012-11-25.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ↑ "How Apple and Microsoft Armed 4,000 Patent Warheads". Wired. 2012-05-21.
- ↑ "Google, Samsung, Huawei sued over Nortel patents". October 31, 2013.
- ↑ "Google fights back against Rockstar patent group". 26 December 2013.
- ↑ "Apple-backed Rockstar ends patent war on Android, deal suggests". 20 November 2014.
- ↑ "Rockstar Consortium to Sell 4,000 Patents to RPX Corp. for $900 Million". 23 December 2014.