Nortel gets $4.5 billion for its patents - thestar.com

Research In Motion Ltd. and thousands of Nortel Networks Corp. pensioners are among the big winners in an auction for Nortel wireless patents that generated $4.5 billion (U.S.) — five times the initial offer tabled by Google Inc. Analysts said the winning bid, by a group that includes Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Sony Corp., Ericsson AB and EMC Corp., raises the bar on the value of intellectual property assets and may push up licensing costs for Google.