Is $VRNG Next After $AAPL #HTC Deal? #Android $GOOG

"There has already been quite a bit of speculation about why the deal happened. Some think it means Apple is softening its stance on patents. I disagree. To me, this looks more like Apple going for the jugular of one of Google’s weakened proxies, and, perhaps, the beginning of the endgame in its war on Android.

Because of the sheer number of patents Apple holds (many thousands), as well as the company’s perceived strength after a string of big wins, such as the billion-dollar jury verdict against Samsung and a recent win at the U.S. International Trade Commission, Apple was clearly in the dominant negotiation position. HTC, on the other hand, had comparatively little to bring to the table, with fewer than 300 U.S. patents and slipping market share. That almost certainly means this deal was not a pure license-for-license deal. Instead, HTC must have agreed to pay Apple a royalty on every Android device it sells."