Microsoft and by extension Nathan Myhrvold are the ones running wild with patent lawsuits and using patents to strong-arm software companies. Microsoft claims FAT32 is an important, patented invention, and is trying to wrestle back control of SMB through the same tactics. SCO's legal assault against Linux is part of all this.
They've also successfully fought against Android and are now exacting stiff taxes on a lot of the Android devices sold because of the "technology" that's being used.
Apple's litigation has recently centred around design patents, not software patents, presumably to push Samsung into making their own designs and not just copying everyone Apple like they used to copy RIM.
Apple surely has an enormous stockpile of software patents, but their lawsuit activity has been pretty limited. I hear lots of bitching about people not getting into the App Store, but not much a thing about individuals being sued by Apple over software patents.
Apple's royalty payments seem restricted to those regarding specifically negotiated rights such as for the enormous multitude of officially licensed iPod/iPad/iPhone accessories. You can hardly fault them for this when the accessory market is so profitable for the companies involved in it.
If Apple stopped making iPods the market would dry up, but conversely, Microsoft's "technology" has no bearing on the success or failure of things like Android.
They've also successfully fought against Android and are now exacting stiff taxes on a lot of the Android devices sold because of the "technology" that's being used.
Apple's litigation has recently centred around design patents, not software patents, presumably to push Samsung into making their own designs and not just copying everyone Apple like they used to copy RIM.
Apple surely has an enormous stockpile of software patents, but their lawsuit activity has been pretty limited. I hear lots of bitching about people not getting into the App Store, but not much a thing about individuals being sued by Apple over software patents.
Apple's royalty payments seem restricted to those regarding specifically negotiated rights such as for the enormous multitude of officially licensed iPod/iPad/iPhone accessories. You can hardly fault them for this when the accessory market is so profitable for the companies involved in it.
If Apple stopped making iPods the market would dry up, but conversely, Microsoft's "technology" has no bearing on the success or failure of things like Android.