[chaz]

According to PaidContent, about IV investors:

Also, some of these companies, including Google and Cisco, have been investors for many years, and in the early years IV had a very different tone. Back then, the giant patent-holding company, which was founded by ex-Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold, billed itself as a “patent defense fund.” (Clearly, it hasn’t turned out that way. ) http://paidcontent.org/article/419-giant-patent-holder-intel...

IV was founded in 2000 and they didn't file their first suit until 2010. Companies certainly change their business model ("pivot," if you will).

Regardless, I'd like to see Google (and many others) divest themselves of their interest in IV.

[fpgeek]

I'm pretty sure their interest in IV these days would be more accurately characterized as "protection".