Apple's "Legal Side of Innovation"

The April 2- April 8, 2012 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek has done a fantastic job of outlining Apple's war of Google's Android OS and the makers of mobile devices that use it such as those from HTC, Motorola Mobility, and even long-time business partner Samsung!

The following graphic shows just how much of a tangled web the numerous lawsuits by Apple and counter suits from those being sued have become.

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

Click here to read the full article on Businessweek. I highly recommend it.

The Bottom Line -  "The Legal Side of Innovation" is a concept that I describe in my recent book, Living in the Innovation Age, in which companies are increasingly using patents and other IP as a way of attacking each other in highly innovative and competitive areas such as smartphones and tablets. As the article illustrates, so far companies have spent over $400 million on legal fees suing and counter suing each other over patent infringements. What's the ROI on that? More than likely, a BIG FAT ZERO.