Moconews: Over at Moconews I've blogged an article concerning the (possibly) large cost of patents on 3G technology owned by some large companies, and the chilling effect this could have on innovation and handset diversity. "The mobile industry could spend USD 80-100 billion on WCDMA-IP-royalty payments up to 2017, sparking fears about the future of second-tier vendors and the level of innovation entering the 3G market. Mounting concern that royalty payments will soon approach 25-30 percent of the vendor’s average selling price has prompted operators to approach the GSM Association for support in a bid to limit payments to a single-digit figure."
Of course, the concern is that a whole technology could be held back or restricted, and society won't be able to fully reap the benefits from it.
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