InterDigital Inc (IDCC)

[captainslog]

Loop, I think the landscape is different this time around.

NOK raised the bar with IDCC, true, but if IDCC can come out of arbitration with a big reward from NOK for past infringement and an acknowledgement that IDCC patents are valid, the 3G questions get cleared up, not clouded. 2G validity with all of its questions and all the uncertainly about IDCC claims is far different than where IDCC stands with 3G.

The way a 3G rate gets resolved is clearer now than it has ever been. If IDCC succeeds with 2G, the 3G story is far more solid and IMO 2G and 3G royalty is a certainty for IDCC.

With 2G resolved with NOK, IDCC will have far more leverage to sign up new customers who have not previously signed up for 2G. There are all kinds of creative ways to sort out past infringement for a new 3G license. That creates momentum.

With 2G success, I think most people will see that 3G will also be a success and will see the NOK action as a bargaining chip, not a slash and burn tactic that the Ericy action was meant to be. IDCC will be too strong for that.