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As tech more and more becomes the very fabric of societies world wide, politics will become as important as the technology itself. Nationalized IP theft, extortion and coercion will become the norm, rather than the exception. No longer can technologies of all types be viewed in the vacuum of the technology itself, but political and social implications will have to be taken into account at levels never imagined before. The mix of politics and tech have been going on for years, but with automation, AI, people becoming partial cyborgs for health and performance reasons the social and legal impacts will have to now be considered front and center with the implementation of any new technology. The penetration of tech into finance is really in its infancy and will impact every aspect of finance from investing, taxing and movement of money. More than ever, tech companies will have to employ people/consultants/maybe even programs that will deal with the social, economic and political implications as part of the development process of any new technology. Comments, thoughts and ideas on this actively wanted and solicited. Covering this area is how I have been making my living for a number of years.
There have been minor effect on QCOM stock price after the ruling. It's a price of doing business, operating as they do in a "developing" patent area.
I'm about 90% convinced that these kinds of patents should stop "developing". It would be better to keep these things as trade secrets because it would result in a cleaner industry, with less negotiating and politics. I think QCOM and others would like to jump off the patent and sue treadmill but someone has to go first.
The tension is between funding an "R&D engine" for the entire wireless ecosystem, versus "free-riders" seeking to implement and market the inventions of others. Inject nationalistic politics, sprinkle in geopolitics, and you're left with irresistible kleptocratic animal urges, that translate into confiscatory findings and fines, intended to plug budget holes, and benefit local manufacturers.
