Steve Jobs: Not the Best Role Model for Patent Litigation?

While there is a lot to look up to about Steve Jobs, the late Apple founder may not have had the most ideal view of patent litigation.

“Many have said Jobs took the smartphone patent wars with Google very personally, perhaps because he felt he let Microsoft off too easy when it emulated Mac’s successful user interface,” says David E. Mixon, a partner and patent attorney with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP (Huntsville, Ala.) who counsels leading technology companies on IP strategy. “Though we will never know, in Jobs’ case it may have worked, but he would likely have been the exception.” 

Mixon says he advises clients to see patent litigation as a financial decision and treat it accordingly. Letting emotion come into play can often have negative financial consequences. 

“At the end of the day, this is just business,” says Mixon. “If a potential settlement makes sense financially, I’ll encourage a client to take it. There’s no benefit to extending a grudge match if what you’ve got in front of you makes good financial sense.” 

Mixon is available to discuss how companies involved in patent litigation should treat cases from a business perspective, rather than an emotional one. [12/16/2011]