Hero is dead: will Yahoo become patent trolls? -Yahoo, Mayer-IT information
Last week, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer continues to try to use a strategic retreat to save the Internet community's former Overlord. Starboard Value LP battle of hedge funds, want to replace all Yahoo Board members. Mayer and not fierce resistance, she agreed to let the Starboard CEO Jeffrey Smith, along with three of his men joined the Board.
Starboard obviously agree with Mayer's reason not because it wants Yahoo to regroup, recover its former glory and once again become the industry leader. So if you are special worship Mayer, or special applications like Yahoo new weather, praised everyone but remember don't praise Jeffrey Smith. Of scientific researchers in the hedge fund world that changed dream not interested; their goal is to ensure that partners can earn money, which is the ultimate goal of universal hedge fund. My problem is that Starboard intend to do that.
Now we clear is that Starboard should push Mayer quickly sell Yahoo's core business, that is, media assets and services. Once the sale is completed, the next step is to find ways to put the company in China, Alibaba and the Japan Yahoo Japan shares convert to shareholder value, in order to legally reduce the United States Government could collect taxes.
But I'm really worried about is Yahoo's intellectual property rights. In other words, Yahoo will become a troll?
Standing on the Starboard Value point of view, the patent is something irresistible; in fact, hedge funds see patent is like a shark seeing blood. 2012 Starboard to take over AOL, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong was asked money from patents. While Starboard Ganji did not succeed, but Armstrong still under pressure patent portfolio to more than $ 1 billion in AOL sell Microsoft, the total amount exceeding expert expectations.
Starboard for money from patent-especially through the sale of patented deep love, essentially the entire company sale. Selling patents, focus moves from engineers to staff lawyers, for a company that is a company philosophy and ideal ends.
Starboard there is a set of strategy is to force the company to accept its own control, or persuade a company to become patent trolls. Openwave is one of the most typical cases. Before the Starboard eyeing the company, Openwave is mainly developing messaging software for mobile operators. In 2010, the Starboard targeting Openwave and access control, so that one of its partners for the Chairman's post. Starboard Openwave factory moved to Reno, Nevada, changing his name to Unwired Planet and start make money exclusively by intellectual property rights. Before the been Starboard torn, Openwave has 2,200 employees used to be a big company, and is involved in product development. However, after becoming Unwired Planet, with just 16 employees, specifically through the company's patents and patent portfolio acquired from the Erricson blackmailing other companies and then the accomplice. The company has sued Apple, Google and Square. People call it a troll, but the Chairman is casual. "Do you love what is what, but very unfortunately, our business-poor only the patent. "Unwired Planet's General Counsel Noah Mesel said disdainfully.
In 2013, the CEO noted the work routines of the Starboard of the Tessera, and the requirement to replace its Board of directors against the Starboard very dissatisfied. But what is different is, Tessera's main source of profit is intellectual property rights. Tessera is not in fact produces real products, mainly including the prosecution of infringers of intellectual property rights by means of profit is known for. Tessera's interim CEO Richard s. Hill Tessera these profits is of lawfulness, fairness and honesty, Tessera's really a group of scientists dedicated to developing something new. So when Tessera Starboard threats when you remove the Board, Hill was the most frightened man – he is afraid of Starboard fire those scientists stop innovation, into pure Tessera makes money by selling intellectual property and sue in tort of patent trolls.
Edgy Hill decided to look for other ways, Starboard issues available to the public. He has written articles for Forbes, expressed his deep fear. Article titled "don't take my company to become patent trolls! "Beginning as follows:
On March 23, 2012, this probably will be the United States first time in company history, the listed company's shareholders will vote on whether to be a technological innovation enterprises become patent trolls. As Chairman and interim CEO of Tessera Technologies, as a tail off by customer service on the market to increase shareholder value, rather than against the accused men in court, I urge our shareholders to cut us some slack. Fun in the back. Eventually, the Starboard won Board seats, and quickly launched the patent trolls, and Rick Hill didn't ruin everything. Although his pleas had not been achieved, Hill after wandering for a while back, Chairman of Tessera sat back in his seat now and Starboard "invaders" who stayed together.
Why Hill changed his mind put the "invaders" arms, why no one knows. (Hill, Tessera and Starboard declined to respond to this article. ) Tessera is one of reliable speculation does not like Hill of fear is broken down into slag. In public documents, the company claimed that the people now have 200 engineers, although a large part of its profits from patents--including patent litigation.
In short, Forbes wrote that article Rick Hill is now sitting on the Starboard into the Yahoo Board's foursome in the Velvet Revolution. Starboard in decorated with four representatives on the Board of Yahoo, Starboard to swallow Yahoo turn it into patent trolls ambitions of everyone of us.
Starboard will probably regret not start early, because Yahoo IP's story has some unexpected twist. Did not expect is that Yahoo had started selling their patents; specifically, is starting from 4 years ago. CEO Mayer to Yahoo seeking a chance at the same time higher profits through the sale of valuable property rights, its buyers, including competitors. When I asked Yahoo How do you comment on, Yahoo spokesman quoted CFO Ken Goldman earnings in the last quarter of 2015 said on the occasion of the Conference. Goldman explained that Yahoo had "started to divest non-strategic assets. And Yahoo will be through non-strategy of patent profits, selling non-policy value of real estate as well as other non-core assets. We expect this will bring huge profits to Yahoo, will total more than $ 1 billion. 」
So what are these non-strategy patents is? PatentuVue section records given by 2015 Yahoo sold the patents last year.
Sell Snapchat 10 patents, including instant messaging and screen sharing.
Sell LinkdIn 9 patents, including social media.
6 sold to Visa.
But long before 2015, Yahoo has 6 patents was sold to Match.com,5 sold it to Pandora, sold to Alibaba's alone made a profit of 70 million dollars. But the shot is still the most generous Google, bought it from Yahoo in 2014 alone 55 patents, including search, locations, music, social networking and other technology to the content, and warehousing management, and so on.
Yahoo property rights benefit not just big-name technology companies, as well as technologies that most senior deity did not recognize the name of the company. Energetic Power of which Investment in August 2014, since Yahoo bought 26 patents there Jollify Management, bought a total of 10. These companies seem to have businesses on intellectual property for the Center. According to the IAM report, these two addresses are the same companies, in the United Kingdom on the Virgin Islands.
These patents, some of which may do business with Yahoo now is not relevant, or even CEO Mayer repeatedly stressed the Holy Grail is the resurrection of the Yahoo search engine. As for the other, but Yahoo if you want technology for rehabilitation, you will most likely need. For chestnut, develop messaging software has become the dominant mode of Internet, many companies are focused on instant messaging technology; but sold his patent to Snapchat Yahoo. If, however, you'll soon be out from now live in her apartment, that you sold the furniture is understandable--even if you want to when you move into a new House, when well-off, you'll want to then use the furniture.
Meanwhile, Yahoo patent rate also dropped sharply. In 2007, Yahoo applied for 299 patents but only 66 2013.
But Yahoo still has a lot of patent in hand, such as, search, advertising, Fantasy Sports, and so on. The patent is expected to be worth more than 4 billion US dollars in total. These patents, especially a few years ago, Yahoo still dominate Internet commerce and advertising of those, covering a wide scope. So if Yahoo patent active litigation, and am afraid that it will turn into a catastrophe. Speculation that Starboard prepared to separate Yahoo's core business, and intellectual property, and continue to make money selling patent or a lawsuit. Mark Lemley, a law professor at Stanford University, said such an approach does have precedent, such as Nokia sell hardware but retains the intellectual property rights. So Yahoo will become a troll master.
How big is this possibility? Right to you from this Yahoo new description on their own understanding of it:
Starboard has always been critical of intellectual property-rich companies start, staged a coup and seized power. Then it will divest from company's research and Development Department to dismiss employees, starting with the old ways at the expense of the long-term development of the company and neimou profits in the short term. This "old", I personally think that is no different from in order to harvest apples and Apple trees were cut down. This passage, is the man who has publicly warned troll Starboard Value Tessera's Chairman Richard Hill said. But now he must have changed it. Now that he has been Starboard who sits on Yahoo's Board.
英雄已死：雅虎是否会变成专利流氓？ - 雅虎,梅耶尔 - IT资讯
上周，Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer还在继续试图用战略性撤退拯救这互联网界昔日的霸主。对冲基金Starboard Value LP发起争夺战，想要撤换Yahoo所有董事会成员。Mayer对此并没有激烈反抗，她同意让Starboard CEO Jeffrey Smith以及他的三名手下加入董事会。
显然Starboard同意Mayer的做法的原因绝非是因为它想让Yahoo重整旗鼓、找回昔日的光辉然后再次成为科技界的领袖。所以说如果你是特别崇拜Mayer，或者特别喜欢Yahoo新出的天气应用的话，夸谁都行但记得千万别夸Jeffrey Smith。这家对冲基金对于改变世界这种科技人员的梦想没啥兴趣；他们的目标是要保证合伙人能赚到钱，也就是普遍对冲基金的终极目标。我的问题就是，Starboard到底打算怎么做。
目前我们比较清楚的就是，Starboard应该会催Mayer尽快卖掉Yahoo的核心业务，也就是媒体资产和服务。一旦出售完成后，下一步就是想办法把公司在中国阿里巴巴和日本Yahoo Japan的股份转换为股东价值，以此来合法降低美国政府可能会收的税。
但我真正担心的是Yahoo的知识产权。换句话说，Yahoo是否将会成为专利流氓？
站在Starboard Value的角度看，专利是一种难以抗拒的东西；事实上对冲基金看到专利就好比鲨鱼见到血。2012年Starboard接管 AOL 的时候就曾要求AOL的CEO Tim Armstrong靠专利赚钱。虽说Starboard奸计没有得逞，但Armstrong还是在重压之下把AOL的专利组合以十亿多美金的高价卖给Microsoft，总金额超出了专家预期。
Starboard对于靠专利赚钱——尤其是通过出售专利的深爱，本质上来说就是把整个公司甩卖掉。卖掉专利，把员工重心从工程师移到律师，对于一个公司而言这无疑就是公司理念和理想的终结。
Starboard的还有一套战略就是强迫公司接受自己控制，或是诱使公司成为专利流氓。最典型的案例之一就是Openwave。在Starboard盯上这家公司之前，Openwave主要是为移动运营商开发消息软件。2010年，Starboard瞄准了Openwave并取得了控制权，让其合伙人之一坐上了董事长的位置。Starboard把Openwave的工厂移到了内华达州雷诺，把名字改为了Unwired Planet，并开始专门靠知识产权赚钱。在被Starboard蹂躏之前，Openwave曾经是拥有2200名员工的大公司，且潜心于开发产品。然而变身为Unwired Planet之后，公司只有16名员工，专门通过公司名下的专利和从Erricson获取的专利组合敲诈其他公司然后分赃。这家公司曾经起诉过Apple、Google 还有Square。人们把它称为专利流氓，但董事长却满不在乎。「你们爱叫啥叫啥，反正非常不巧的是我们的业务穷的只剩专利。」Unwired Planet的总法律顾问Noah Mesel毫不在意地说道。
2013年，Tessera的CEO注意到了Starboard的管用套路，并且对Starboard提出的撤换其董事会的要求非常不满。不过不太一样的是，Tessera的主要利润来源本来就是知识产权。事实上Tessera不怎么生产实体产品，主要靠知识产权包括起诉侵权者等手段获利是出了名的。但Tessera的临时CEO Richard S. Hill坚持Tessera的这些利润都是合法合理且诚实的，Tessera手下真的有一群科学家专门负责开发新东西。因此当Starboard威胁Tessera撤换董事会的时候，Hill是最担惊受怕的那个人——他生怕Starboard会解雇那些科学家，停止创新，把Tessera变成纯粹靠售卖知识产权并告人侵权赚钱的专利流氓。
心急火燎的Hill决定另辟蹊径，把Starboard的问题公之于众。他为Forbes写了篇文章，表达了他内心深深的恐惧。文章标题为「别把我的公司变成专利流氓！」，开头如下：
2012年3月23日，这或许将会是美国企业历史上第一次，上市公司的股东将投票决定是否将一家技术革新企业变成专利流氓。作为Tessera Technologies的董事长兼临时CEO，作为一个费尽心血通过在市场上为顾客服务增加股东价值、而非在法庭上打击被告的男人，我恳请我们的股东们放我们一马。好玩的还在后面。最终，Starboard还是赢得了董事会座位，并迅速地发起了专利流氓大法，但Rick Hill也没有身败名裂失去一切。虽然他的恳求没有实现，Hill徘徊了一阵子以后又回到Tessera坐回了他的董事长坐席，如今正和Starboard的「入侵者」们待在一起。
Hill为啥改变了想法投入了「入侵者」的怀抱，其中缘由谁都不知道。（Hill、Tessera和Starboard都拒绝对此篇做出回应。）可靠的推测之一是Tessera并没有像Hill所惧怕的那样被分解成渣渣。在公开文件中，公司声称如今手下还有200名工程师，虽然其利润很大一部分来自于专利——包括专利诉讼。
总之，给Forbes写了那篇文章的Rick Hill如今就坐在Starboard塞进Yahoo董事会的天鹅绒革命四人组里。如今Starboard在Yahoo的董事会里安插了四名代表，Starboard想吞噬Yahoo把它变成专利流氓的野心也众人皆知了。
但Starboard大概会后悔没有早些下手，因为Yahoo知识产权的故事剧情已经发生了一些意想不到的转折。没想到的是，Yahoo早就开始卖自家的专利了；确切地说，是从4年前就开始了。CEO Mayer在为Yahoo争求一线生机的同时也在通过售卖有价值的产权来拉高利润，其买家中也包括竞争者。当我问Yahoo对此有何评论时，Yahoo发言人引用了CFO Ken Goldman在2015年最后一季度的财报会议中说的一番话。Goldman解释，Yahoo已经「开始剥离非策略资产了。这以为和Yahoo将会通过非策略专利盈利，出售有价值的房地产以及其他非核心的非策略资产。我们预计这将会给Yahoo带来巨额的利润，总共将会超过10亿美金。」
所以这些非策略专利都是什么？PatentuVue在2015年给出的报告中记录了部分去年Yahoo卖了的专利。
10项专利卖给Snapchat，其中包括即时通讯和屏幕共享。
9项专利卖给LinkdIn，包括社交媒体。
6项卖给了Visa。
但早在2015年之前，Yahoo就有6项专利卖给了Match.com，5项卖给了Pandora，单单卖给阿里巴巴的就赚了7000万美金。不过出手最阔绰的还是Google，单单2014年就从Yahoo手里买了55项专利，其中包括搜索、位置、音乐、社交等各种技术向内容，还有仓库储存管理等等。
Yahoo产权的受益者不仅仅是那些知名技术公司，还有那些最资深的技术大神都认不出名字的公司。其中有Energetic Power Investment，于2014年8月份从Yahoo买了26项专利技术；还有Jollify Management，共买了10项。这些公司似乎本来业务就以知识产权为中心。据IAM报道，这两家公司的地址都一样，就在英国维京群岛上。
这些专利中，有些可能确实与Yahoo现在的业务并不相关，甚至是CEO Mayer反复强调是Yahoo复活的救命稻草的搜索引擎。至于其他的，却是Yahoo如果想复兴的话很有可能会需要的技术。举个栗子，开发消息类软件已经成为了互联网业的主导模式，很多公司都非常看重即时通讯技术；但Yahoo却把相关专利卖给了Snapchat。不过，如果你很快就会被从现在住的公寓里赶出来的话，那你卖光家具也不难理解——哪怕你希望当你搬进新房子、手头宽裕一些后，你还是会想接着用这些家具。
与此同时，Yahoo生产专利的速率也在急剧下降。2007年，Yahoo申请了299项专利；但2013年却只有66项。
但Yahoo手头还有很多专利，例如搜索、广告还有Fantasy Sports等等。这些专利总共预计会值40多亿美金。这些专利中，尤其是在几年前Yahoo还称霸互联网商业和广告业时的那些，涉及范围相当广。因此如果Yahoo就这些专利积极诉讼的话，恐怕真的会变成一场浩劫。有人猜测Starboard是否打算把Yahoo的核心业务和知识产权剥离开来，并继续卖专利或是到处打官司赚钱。斯坦福大学的法律教授Mark Lemley表示这种做法确实有先例，例如Nokia就出售了硬件但保留了知识产权。因此Yahoo很有可能会成为专利流氓帮主。
这可能性到底有多大？你从以下这段对Yahoo内部新权的描述自行理解吧：
Starboard向来都会挑知识产权丰富的公司下手，发动政变，夺取实权。然后它就会从公司的研究开发部门撤资，解雇员工，开始用老办法，牺牲公司的长期发展并在短期内牟暴利。这种「老办法」，我个人认为无异于为了收获苹果而砍掉整棵苹果树。这段话，就是那个曾经公开警告专利流氓Starboard Value的Tessera董事长Richard Hill所说的。不过现在他说法一定已经不一样了吧。如今他已经成为了Starboard的人，正坐在Yahoo的董事会里。