CRM News: Deals

Nvidia Deal Puts a New Spin on Patent-Portfolio Acquisition
May 15, 2012

Nvidia and Intellectual Ventures have partnered to buy a set of patents developed and owned by IPWireless. The patent portfolio comprises approximately 500 wireless patents, including in such areas as LTE, LTE-Advanced and 3G/4G technologies. The acquisition is viewed as another sign that the company is getting more serious about diversifying beyond its gamer-friendly graphics cards.

FTC's Instagram Probe Could Spotlight Zuckerberg's Wheeling and Dealing
May 11, 2012

Facebook's acquisition of photo-sharing app Instagram was in the spotlight on Friday following a report that the Federal Trade Commission was investigating the deal on competition grounds. The FTC reportedly has even asked for input on the deal from rivals Google and Twitter, although it isn't clear what information was being requested.

Rumored Merger Could Give T-Mobile a Shot in the Arm
May 10, 2012

Deutsche Telekom is rumored to be pursuing a merger between T-Mobile and MetroPCS Communications. How the merger may be executed appears to be a moving target at the moment. It could take the form of a stock-swap, giving Deutsche Telekom control of the combined entity, or it could be an initial public offering. Deutsche Telekom reportedly is considering an outright sale of T-Mobile as well.

Norway Rounds Up Alleged International Teenaged Cybervillains
May 10, 2012

Today in international tech news: A pair of teenagers are arrested in Norway for cyberattacks on, among others, Britain's Serious Organized Crime Agency and Germany's Bild newspaper. Elsewhere, India mulls a retroactive tax bill that could net the nation $3.75 billion from Vodaphone, Twitter is aflutter with false Margaret Thatcher news, and the Netherlands, once again, orders ISPs to block The Pirate Bay.

The Samsung Galactic Empire
May 05, 2012

This past week has been especially kind to Samsung. Big sales numbers were followed by the unveiling of the Galaxy S III, the company's latest flagship phone and one that could very well own the market this summer. The S III runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Google's operating system and one that up to this point hasn't taken residence on a very large number of phones.

Reading Into IBM's Tealeaf Buy
May 03, 2012

IBM is building out its digital marketing functionality in its Smarter Commerce portfolio with the acquisition of Tealeaf Technology, a provider of customer experience analytics. Tealeaf software records and analyzes customer interactions on a company's website and any mobile channels it offers. It allows the company to catch any mistakes or glitches in the system that may be hindering the customer experience.

Motorola Losses Climb as Google Deal Lingers in Limbo
May 02, 2012

Motorola Mobility revealed its quarterly earnings for its first fiscal quarter of the year Tuesday, reporting a slightly higher net loss than last year. The company lost $86 million, or 28 cents per share, compared to $81 million, or 27 cents per share, for the same time a year ago. Smartphone sales were slightly up.

Spring Renewal
May 02, 2012

I read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in college, and now every April brings me back to the opening verses about springtime and renewal. This April was especially memorable in our industry, and as the month has just passed I wanted to take a moment to discuss some of the things I witnessed. Mostly, for me, there was an unmistakable sense of renewal in CRM and in the tech sector more generally.

Microsoft Carves a Notch in Nook
May 01, 2012

Microsoft on Monday said it will pay $300 million to get a piece of Barnes & Noble's Nook tablet action for the Windows 8 platform. The two companies will partner in a new Barnes & Noble subsidiary which will push further into the education market. Barnes & Noble will initially create a Nook app for Windows 8.

Facebook Enlists InfoSec Mavens for Big Malware Vaccination
April 25, 2012

Constant hammering by hackers and mutilation by malware have motivated Facebook to enact new security measures. It's now incorporating the malicious URL databases from Microsoft, McAfee, Trend Micro, Sophos and Symantec into its URL blacklist system, which scans trillions of clicks a day.

Schmidt: Sun Was Warm to Java Arrangement
April 25, 2012

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt defended his company's actions regarding Java and Android as he took the witness stand Tuesday during Google's ongoing trial, in which the company stands accused of misusing Java programming code in the development of its mobile operating system.

Microsoft Flips AOL IP to Patent-Hungry Facebook
April 23, 2012

Just two weeks after forking over more than $1 billion to AOL for hundreds of patents and patent applications, Microsoft resold 650 of them to Facebook on Monday. Each party in this latest transaction will retain licenses to the intellectual property the other will hold when the deal is completed.

LightSquared Buys Time From Inmarsat
April 23, 2012

LightSquared made an outstanding payment to Inmarsat Friday for Phase 1 of its spectrum agreement. It received an additional two years to seek federal approval before it must pay for the second phase of the deal. Previously, Inmarsat had said it wasn't certain it would receive any more payments from LightSquared.

Larry vs. Larry
April 21, 2012

A San Francisco courtroom is presently the center ring in the worldwide tech IP litigation circus. While other legal battles over mobile device patents and copyrights are as down and dirty as ever in places like Germany, Australia, and elsewhere in the U.S., the fight between Oracle and Google over the alleged theft of Java technologies stands out due to its cast of characters.

EU Greenlights Sony's Lane in Complex EMI Deal
April 20, 2012

The European Commission's competition authority has given an investment group led by Sony the go-ahead to acquire EMI Group's music-publishing division for US$2.2 billion. The commission's approval is conditioned on Sony, which is partnering with ATV in this transaction, selling certain music assets and changing some business practices.

As Facebook IPO Draws Near, Instagram Buy Draws Scrutiny
April 20, 2012

Facebook will make its public trading debut on Nasdaq on May 17, according to a TechCrunch report citing multiple anonymous sources. The much-anticipated IPO reportedly will value the company at $100 billion. The date jibes with separate reports and rumors from other sources; for some time, it has been widely expected that one day in spring the social media giant would make its initial offering.

Verizon Aims to Horse-Trade With FCC in Spectrum Sell-Off
April 19, 2012

Verizon reported a strong first quarter of 2012, it revealed Thursday, thanks in part to new FiOS and wireless subscribers. Verizon took in $1.69 billion in profit, or 59 cents per share, an increase from the 51 cents per share it reported from the same time last year. The company's operating revenues were $28.2 billion, up 4.6 percent.

UK, US Play Piracy Tug-of-War
April 19, 2012

There is cross-party pressure in the UK to stay the extradition of 23-year-old Richard O'Dwyer, who founded a website that shared links to TV shows. Last month Theresa May, the UK home secretary, approved the extradition request to send O'Dwyer to the U.S., where he faces up to 10 years in prison for copyright violations.