Currently liquidmetal has rights to all the patents in CIP with Apple. Apple can use the patents for consumer electronics, Liquidmetal for all other areas.
Under the current licensing agreement Liquidmetal is forbidden to sell or even liscense out these patents for non-ce business. But when this license with Apple ends in February 2014 Liquidmetal will be able to take the patents that Apple just spent 10's of millions of dollars for which it did R&D, and they can literally sell and license out these patents for non-ce use.
Do you honestly think Apple wants Liquidmetal to have this kind of control with their patents that will revolutionize Apple's products for the next 10 years. Absolutely not. And Apple is going to pay big bucks to eventually gain full control of this company.
Apple has been concerned with control from the beginning of this relationship with Liquidmetal. Why do you think Kang was booted out, and Apple's chosen man Steipp put into the CEO position by Apple? Control. They needed someone they could trust to keep the confidentiality and silence that Steipp has maintained throughout.
But sharing the ownership of the patents in CIP between Apple and Liquidmetal leaves to many doors open to Liquidmetal for Apple's comfort level, and leaves Apple vulnerable. Believe you me-Apple is not going to want to have their patents shared with the potential of having them sold by Liquidmetal for other uses. No, they will buy out this company, and I believe they will do it before the current licensing agreement ends in February.
