Which Manufacturer is Winning the Smartphone Patent War?

Which Smartphone Maker is Winning the Patent War?

Ever since the dawn of the smartphone era, hardware makers such as Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, LG, and Nokia have been engaged in a costly patents arms race. Every new patent on file furthers the case for the manufacturer’s legitimacy. Without any of this ammo, a manufacturer must capitulate against the crushing legal forces touted by the big boys.

The legal battles have costed manufacturers billions and there are no shortage of examples of companies posturing in the patent arena. In 2011, Google bought Motorola primarily because it valued the company’s patents at $5.5 billion. Meanwhile, Microsoft made more money from patent licenses in 2013 than it did in licenses for its actual Windows Phone. A recent study estimated that for a $400 smartphone, the cost of royalties alone is more than $120 – at least equal to the value of the components themselves.

Steve Jobs even famously claimed that the Android itself was “grand theft” from Apple. “I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40bn in the bank, to right this wrong. I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this,” Jobs said.

This infographic sums up the most recent stats in the smartphone patent war.

If you were to ask us who is winning? Probably the lawyers.

Original graphic from: Protect Your Bubble