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High stakes fueling patent wars

No clear victor as firms fight it out in court

By Hiawatha Bray

 |  Globe Staff  

  December 26, 2011

A patent lawsuit won last week by iPhone maker Apple Inc. was only a single victory in a global legal war that has giant corporations fighting for control of the technologies behind smartphones and computers, with the potential result being fewer or less appealing devices, or higher prices, for consumers. Apple Inc. and other technology firms are embroiled in about 100 patent lawsuits in at least 10 countries. The stakes are high: potential domination of a multi-billion-dollar market.

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