[ Thanks to James
for this link. ]
“A new crop of players, strategic advisers in tow, are
elbowing their way to the negotiating table for the next round of
intellectual-property deals. Companies like Cisco, Microsoft
and Rambus are positioning themselves to play the patent game
that’s been well-established by the likes of chip giants IBM,
Lucent and Texas Instruments. And a fresh batch of consultants with
books and online sites stands ready to help, for a fee.”
“In the 21st century, corporate wealth will not be determined by
the number of plants, factories or real estate a company owns,”
said James Spears, of the Washington law firm of Shook, Hardy &
Bacon LLP. “Rather it will be determined by the strength of the
company’s intellectual-property portfolio.”