post Wednesday April 18, 2012
Apple and Android manufacturers have reportedly started discussions to license aspects of its patent portfolio. According to people familiar with the matter, Apple is planning to abandon its aggressive policies against Android, a conflict led by Steve Jobs to annihilate Google’s mobile platform.
With the newly launched negotiations, Apple is paving the way for an improved relationship with Android that ends its efforts to kill off the competition regardless of costs. This comes following a report showing Apple’s limited product portfolio compared to the competitors like Samsung who could remove a product or two and not see sales and revenue heavily impacted.
As many companies are modifying current products that violate Apple patents, Apple may be realizing that its own business relies upon many of the basic engineering patents that its competitors may control. Apple’s latest patent on parental control of child spending indicates that they are still evolving and investing internally, but as scope narrows, developing relationships with competitors may be necessary.
