Apple, HP and Dell latest targets of WiLAN litigation

WiLAN, a company that doesn't make devices but licenses out IP to companies that do — more than 250, by its count — has joined the patent lawsuit fray, suing Apple, Hewlett-Packard and Dell (the world's top three PC makers, for anyone not paying attention) and six other companies.

The patents in question relate to CDMA, HSPA, WiFi and LTE technologies, according to All Things D.

Apple seems to sue more often than some people brunch, and Nokia, Motorola, HTC and just about everyone in the industry has of late, it seems, sent legal papers to one competitor or another, indignantly insisting on the hard-won efforts behind their products.

Business is business, surely, and IP should be protected, but in WiLAN's case the matter of litigation is business as usual.

"Agreements signed during the quarter with marquee corporations including Intel, Broadcom and Motorola contributed to record revenues during the quarter," Wi-LAN Chairman and CEO Jim Skippen said in a June statement, announcing first quarter record revenues of $26.3 million.

"The agreements also ended four major litigations which should contribute to a significant reduction in our future litigation expenses," Skippen continued. "I stated many times before, my belief that our past investment in litigation could generate a significant return in the future. Our and earnings in the first quarter signal the beginning of that return to WiLAN and its shareholders.”