Apple, as we’ve noted before, is not shy about patent trolling, but they’ve been discovering that suing their competitors out of existence is kind of hard to do. They’re also, not unreasonably, a little worried about what’ll happen when Google buys Motorola Mobility, thus theoretically putting them smack in Apple’s crosshairs.
Probably not looking forward to that legal battle, Apple’s come up with a compromise: licensing their various patents for $5 to $15 a smartphone. True, Apple has done this before; in fact, Apple does this all the time.
But extending this particular olive branch means smartphone makers can get on with their lives and keep giving us the phones we want. So hooray! Sorta!
(Image via Comrade Foot on Flickr)