This graph is a few years old – but it gives you a sense of what it takes to operate in a space where everyone is suing everyone else for patent infringement. What happens to the new, small innovator? How can they possibly compete when litigation of this magnitude is an integral part of the business model?
wow and this is just between major brand names. There are tons of companies in the semiconductor industry for instance, that mainly sell to Apple or other select brand names (ex Skyworks whose stock is largely influenced by speculation of Apple’s upcoming phones.
I wonder how much larger this graph would be if they included all the IP cases between companies like Skyworks and these other brands that would potentially buy their technology if not for what I assume is strong patent deals with Apple.