IT industry combines against patent threat

15:16 2nd July 2008

Some of the biggest companies in the IT industry have joined forces in a bid to defend themselves against charges of patent infringement.

HP, Verizon, Google, Ericsson and Cisco have combined to form the Allied Security Trust, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The firms are hoping that the new collaboration will protect them by allowing them to buy patents before they are acquired by rivals.

Each party will pay $250,000 (£125,400) as a membership fee then provide a further $5 million to a fund that will be used to purchase patents.

The news comes after the formation of another group in the IT industry was announced.

Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Intel and Juniper have created the Industry Consortium for Advancement of Security on the Internet to help tackle the problem of online threats.

Computeach can help you gain the skills to enter the IT industry