Patents are only a short term advantage and they know it - Google doesn't have lots of patents but they have cash and, surprise, they have gone shopping already.

Just wait until Google, Samsung, HTC, LG and maybe smaller players like Acer form a coalition and go after Microsoft - a company that is not a patent trol, that can be attacked and that will take a stock market hit in the case of failure.

What really works for Microsoft at this point is just plain old FUD, but that doesn't lasts long.

>Just wait until Google, Samsung, HTC, LG and maybe smaller players like Acer form a coalition and go after Microsoft

Google has never filed an offensive patent suit. Also, MS can retaliate against almost every Google product out there.

Samsung, HTC are MS patent licensees and make Windows Phones. In fact, HTC came into the world phone market by making WM phones.

LG makes Windows Phones.

Acer's biggest business is being a Windows OEM.

Why would they waste tens of millions of dollars trying to shake down MS? If you think these are going to come together and file a patent lawsuit against the biggest patenter, I suspect you're wrong.

>..will take a stock market hit in the case of failure

The dent in MS's revenues even in the case of successful patent suits against it, compared to the cash brought in by their cashcows will be a blip on the radar.

And the advantage of going with WP7 is that it keeps Apple and random patent trolls from coming after you since Microsoft indemnifies OEMs against software patents. Not to mention the estimated fees are only about $12 to $15 which weakens GPs argument that cost is a big factor.

The OEMs and carriers do lose the freedom to develop a UI skin (which delays updates) and load always-running and uninstallable junkware though which might count for something against WP7.