After a furious bidding process that saw Google and Intel’s hopes crushed, Apple, RIM, Microsoft, Sony, EMC and Ericsson scooped up Nortel’s patents for $4.5 billion. The 6,000 patents span wireless, data networking, 4G and internet, and while we don’t know what the bevy of tech companies plan on doing with them, it’s notable that Google has been excluded from the sale. [Reuters]
