First, Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) turned in another bad quarter, leading Wall St. to question whether the merger between the US and French telecom equipment companies makes sense. Its shares are down 21% over the last month and trade close to their 52-week low.
Then, the company’s big patent victory over Microsoft (MSFT) gets overturned. Courts awarded ALU over $1.5 billion for Redmond’s infringement on some of the company’s digital music patents. Alcatel claims rights to much of the IP in the MP3 digital sound technology, so the victory over Microsoft may have opened the door for its to collect royalties from a number of other companies.
However, a US District judge found that Microsoft may have infringed one patent and not two. The two were the basis for the large damage award.
ALU’s own business is so poor that it should hope to be around for the next trial.
Douglas A. McIntyre
Take Charge of Your Retirement: Find the Right Financial Advisor For You in Minutes (Sponsor)
Retirement planning doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. The key is finding professional guidance—and we’ve made it easier than ever for you to connect with the right financial advisor for your unique needs.
Here’s how it works:
1️ Answer a Few Simple Questions
Tell us a bit about your goals and preferences—it only takes a few minutes!
2️ Get Your Top Advisor Matches
This tool matches you with qualified advisors who specialize in helping people like you achieve financial success.
3️ Choose Your Best Fit
Review their profiles, schedule an introductory meeting, and select the advisor who feels right for you.
Why wait? Start building the retirement you’ve always dreamed of. Click here to get started today!
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.
You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.