thisistheverge:

FRANDs forever: how the smartphone industry turned a gentleman’s agreement into a full-scale patent war

There’s a major debate over the fairness of patent licenses and how patents essential to wireless standards like 3G can be used in litigation. It’s a wonky and in-depth argument between huge players like Apple, Microsoft, Motorola, Google, HTC, and Samsung that’s playing out in courtrooms and government agencies all over the world — and the end result will dramatically affect the technology landscape for years to come. Let’s take a look.