CoreLogic and Smarter Agent Announce Patent License Agreement
““We are pleased to have formalized a licensing agreement with a market leader like CoreLogic and look forward to working with them in the future,” said Smarter Agent CEO Brad Blumberg.
Ben Graboske, senior vice president of Real Estate and Financial Services for CoreLogic added, “We are always looking to provide the best, most innovative products to our customers and this agreement with Smarter Agent, enhances our ability to deliver on that promise and to provide mobile data solutions to our clients.”
As an independent software developer I have mixed feeling about software patents. But from the perspective of my previous post regarding “home grown” MLS systems you can see CoreLogic’s play here.
CoreLogic’s play? I think it’s SmarterAgent’s play.
If these two were doing a deal *anyway*, it’s possible SmarterAgent used the opportunity to make it more about their patent, rather than the partnership.
From SA’s perspective, this announcement makes other potential licensees think twice about doing their own mobile apps. Maybe they think it’s a shot in the arm for their tenuous licensing business.
CoreLogic gains nothing from this announcement. If anything, it’s a gift to SmarterAgent (or a negotiated item). Brad may have happily given up $$ for this PR.
I haven’t heard if the defendants in SmartAgent’s patent lawsuit are rushing to follow CoreLogic’s lead.
Love blogs! Robert, nice theories, not accurate to what actually transpired or why – but understand why you may have that opinion. I thinks Greg’s assessment however is a bit more accurate. Robert, interestingly when as a budding entrepreneur over a decade ago, we knocked on everyone’s door with our vision on mobile, hundreds of doors were closed. We thought it was because we might have been too early, but ironically, many ended up copying us instead. In many ways that validated our technology and approach. At a macro level, we know we are not the first to use this tact. Apple, etc. all use the system to protect IP, competitive advantages. Our option was to either take it on the chin, change the system or play by it. While we might have unfortunately burned some bridges with the likes of a Zillow or others, we have also built many bridges with our clients that look to us to provide them the tools to compete and remain relevant. So in the end we decided to play by the system to the benefit of our customers and their clients.
This is Vendor Alley, where we’re free to speculate on everything. And Greg did a fine job of laying groundwork in the “Home Grown” post. He is the master of innuendo…or is he?
Are you limiting your licensing deals (and patent enforcement) to the real estate vertical? Your patents, especially those that follow ‘541, seem to include almost every mobile mapping application, even Google Maps on mobile.
@Robert If I’m a “master” of anything, I’m a masturbator. : )