Microsoft buys and licenses AOL patents in $1bn deal

Internet companies always struggle to monetise; it is interesting how a market of patents is emerging and how some traditional companies (like AOL) can profit from it.
Microsoft buys and licenses AOL patents in $1bn deal
Microsoft is buying the majority of AOL's patents in a deal worth $1.06bn (£668m).
A statement said the agreement covers the intellectual property rights to more than 800 innovations.
Microsoft will also be granted licensing rights to about 300 patents that AOL is keeping.

Read the whole article at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17657205

RBS Sells Aviation Business to Sumitomo Mitsui for $7.3 Billion

This is a good example of how companies that struggle with their finance would develop their strategy as returning to their core competencies and main activities. This is an interesting example of a company that tried to create synergies between two largely unrelated business units. In theory, Banks/Financial Institutions with the large number of clients could create synergies in all sort of business, however this case shows that the lack of expertise (and probably the economic climate did not allow for the synergies to be developed); it is worth mentioning that aircraft leasing is a considerably larger business in N. America which has never really developed in Europe.


RBS Sells Aviation Business to Sumitomo Mitsui for $7.3 Billion

By Gavin Finch and Takahiko Hyuga

Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc is selling its aviation leasing unit to Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. for about $7.3 billion, the biggest disposal by the state-owned lender since its U.K.-government bailout in 2008

Read the whole article at: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-17/rbs-sells-aviation-business-to-sumitomo-mitsui-for-7-3-billion.html

Google adds IBM patents as it looks to future

Acquiring resources to implement strategies. Google's strategy is to entre/dominate the social networking market. Although, as a company it is capable of innovating on online technologies, it struggles with social networking; buying them from IBM gives Google quick access to resources. It is also interesting to note that IBM is now building technologies that it is not for its own use. This seems like an RBV strategy, to use its assets for developing resources that will sell to others.

Google adds IBM patents as it looks to future

Google has gained hundreds of patents from IBM as it continues its intellectual property spending spree.
It has acquired 187 patents and 36 applications, adding to the 1,000 it purchased from IBM last summer.

Read the whole article at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16409081