Patents are a fact of life in the technology sector, but they're also a major source of fear and loathing. Witness the current dithering over patents for 3G and so-called 4G technology. Much of the dithering has been directed at Qualcomm, which has had numerous high-profile legal clashes with rivals like Broadcom and Nokia over W-CDMA patents, while manufacturers and operators in Korea, Japan, India, China and even the US have expressed annoyance with Qualcomm for years over its exorbitant royalty rates. In the current Qualcomm/ Nokia case in the US, Nokia stated in court documents that it has paid Qualcomm $1 billion for access to its full patent portfolio over a 15-year ...