A proposed combination of two Canadian patent-holding companies would make it easier to extract lucrative licensing deals from technology giants in areas ranging from wireless to semiconductors, would-be buyer WiLan (WIN.TO) said on Thursday. In fact, the race among tech giants to scoop up intellectual property to protect their businesses is heating up so much that WiLan may not be the only bidder for Mosaid's (MSD.TO) patent portfolio, present in all Wi-Fi-enabled devices. "I can't predict who in the patent world might make a bid. It could be anybody, it could be nobody," WiLan Chief Executive Jim Skippen told Reuters in an interview. And if the bid for Mosaid is successful, Skippen said WiLan could soon be facing an unsolicited bid of its own.
Wi-LAN Inc. (WiLAN) develops, acquires, and licenses a range of intellectual property that drives products in communications and consumer electronics markets. Shares of WIN fell by 3.06% or $-0.37/share to $11.74. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $10.76 and as high as $14.40. On average, 6135990 shares of WIN exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 8104702.
MOSAID Technologies Incorporated (MOSAID) is a Canada-based company focused on renewal of a semiconductor licensee, expanding the number of licensees to its wireless portfolio and preparing for discussions with licensees to its microcomponent and communications portfolios. Shares of MSD fell by 2.04% or $-0.22/share to $10.56. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $9.75 and as high as $11.80. On average, 67255 shares of MSD exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 71029.
Source
