In a patent auction unprecedented in size and scope, a consortium of high-tech heavyweights banded together to buy Nortel Networks Corporation’s trove of more than 6,000 remaining patent assets for a record-shattering $4.5 billion.
The winning bidder, a team of six tech companies that called itself Rockstar Bidco LP, consists of Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Research in Motion Ltd., Sony Corp., Ericsson AB, and EMC Corp. The consortium will take control of the patents, which cover everything from online search and tablet computers to social networking and 4G LTE mobile technology, pending approval from U.S. and Canadian bankruptcy courts.
