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Allied Security Trust
Allied Security Trust (AST) describes itself as "a purely defensive organization helping to minimize the exposure of operating companies to adversarial patent holders".[1]
AST buys patents, gives licences to it's members, and then sells the patents on again.
They served as intermediary in the deal where Open Invention Network paid US$22 million to Microsoft for a set of SGI OpenGL patents.
AST's CEO, Daniel McCurdy,[2] is also the Chairman of Patent Freedom.[3]
Members
AST has 18 members (as of August 2010[4]) which includes:[5][6]
- Avaya
- Cisco
- Ericsson
- Hewlett-Packard
- IBM
- Intel
- Motorola
- Oracle
- Philips
- Research in Motion
- Verizon
Sun Microsystems was a member before it got bought out.
Related pages on ESP Wiki
External links
- AST homepage
- Allied Security Trust, Wikipedia
- AST expected to buy Java patents for $100,000, 16 Apr 2010, Groklaw
- Patent cartel formed to fight "trolls", 30 June 2008, criticism (note: the author's use of the term "patent cartel", but not with the meaning we suggest)
- Big tech gets legal aid in the patent wars, 30 June 2008, CNN/Fortune
- Bitten by patent-fish? Try "Catch and Release.", 2 July 2008, ThePriorArt
References
- ↑ http://www.live-pr.com/en/limelight-networks-r-twister-investments-and-r1048433838.htm
- ↑ http://www.alliedsecuritytrust.com/OurTeam.aspx
- ↑ http://www.law.com/jsp/cc/PubArticleFriendlyCC.jsp?id=1202464087434
- ↑ http://www.alliedsecuritytrust.com/ast_members.aspx
- ↑ http://www.alliedsecuritytrust.com/ast_members.aspx
- ↑ "Sun, EBay, Rock & Republic, Troyer: Intellectual Property". http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&refer=conews&tkr=1149L:US&sid=aI70xRS4IR9w. "Sun Microsystems Inc. and Motorola Inc. are among a group of high tech companies that joined in a novel ``catch-and-release strategic alliance as a way of avoiding costly patent litigation. Other members include Hewlett-Packard Co., Verizon Communications Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Google Inc., and Ericsson AB, said Brian Hinman, chief executive of the new venture."
