Mueller: Apple's iterative approach to FRAND abuse is not for the faint of heart

Posted Feb 8, 2012 0:24 UTC (Wed) by JoeBuck (subscriber, #2330) [Link]

But in this case his bias seems to be pro-Apple rather than pro-Microsoft. He thinks that Apple is entitled to a monopoly because of its exceptional creativity, while competing makers of communications technology should be forced to license all their patents to Apple on RAND terms, not just those required to comply with standards but also those that are required for best performance. I think he's right that we're headed towards a situation where everyone will be forced to cross-license. If any non-licensed patent can stop a product, Samsung can keep Apple products from being sold just as successfully as Apple can stop Samsung. If anyone is going to sell anything they will be forced to cross-license. Now that Steve Jobs' massive ego has left the scene, this is likely to happen. But Mueller seems to think that this is a bad thing, and it would be better for all the smart phones and tablets in the world to come from Apple (or maybe other players could be coerced into designing in whatever tiny space Apple has left for them).

Yes, only the major players will be in a position to play the cross-licensing game, but once all sides get it that they can't be the only ones to sell a smart phone or a tablet, the sooner everyone can get back to building stuff, and there will be enough choices so that at least one maker will find it advantageous to produce general-purpose, unlocked devices.