Recent patent battles in mobile have raised the value of controlling a war chest of IP to secure one’s position among the super-powers in tech’s version of the Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).  With news that Apple has recently secured the vaunted “Killer Patent” for location services, there is new speculation about a new round of patent wars in the location space and specifically, the social location market. With so many expectations resting on “SoLoMo”, any hammer lock on Intellectual Property (IP) in this area is likely to get the tech media into full on hyperventilation mode.

I am not a patent expert and can’t comment on the validity or strength of the Apple (or any other) patent.  But I know this: The Apple patent comes from the Dot.Com v1 era (1999-2001)…and there is more where that came from. If SoLoMo is the next hot market, the next rush may be to buy patents and IP in this area. Continue reading SoLoMo: The Next Patent Battlefield? →