Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Report: Microsoft Picks Up Netscape In AOL Deal

The acquisition Monday of 800 of AOL's patents by Microsoft apparently included an interesting asset: the underlying patents and technology in Netscape, the original web browser. According to AllthingsD, the patent sale quietly included the stock of Netscape--referred to as an unspecified "AOL subsidiary" in AOL's announcement of the deal yesterday. Microsoft is paying $1 billion for the portfolio of patents from AOL. The deal apparently only included Netscape's technology; AOL still owns the brand and related businesses.