Internet Of Things: Another Industry Patent War?

"The smartphone patent wars are dead? Long live the IoT patent wars!" Depending on which commentator you believe, you could argue that the smartphone patent wars of the past five years are winding down. You could point to the fact that the Apple v. Samsung litigation in the United States is deep into the appeal process, driving toward final resolution. You could explain that the Rockstar Consortium—a joint venture owned by Apple, Microsoft, and others—has settled its patent dispute with their rival Google. You could even mention that, not too long ago, Apple settled with HTC, another worldwide smartphone manufacturer. These are all valid points that could justifiably lead you to conclude that the smartphone patent wars are on their last legs. But you would be wrong.