Now on the Auction Block, 4K Patents

One of the last assets within the Nortel portfolio finally appears to be on the block as the company is exploring the sale of its patent portfolio.

According to reports, Nortel is looking at whether to sell the portfolio or transform into into a licensing entity. The decision will be based on whether Nortel can attract a high enough price.

One company that will be interested in at least some of Nortel’s patents is Research in Motion, which made it abundantly clear that it wants the LTE patents.

Nortel is being advised by Lazard and Global IP Law Group.

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  • protosphere

    The most basic of facts and common knowledge illustrate Nortel's so obvious yet profoundly astounding actions.

    The following link is a must read.

    There will be at least a few points of interest almost every reader will be unaware of during this to be seen to be believed saga.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nortel

  • whopperscan

    Ironic to say the least! But I cannot believe this – the story implies they have not been PAID even that ridiculously paltry sum for CVAS yet? They handed it over ages ago!
    Bumped into some old Nortel friends the other day… only 5 or 6 left in the office, everything else sold. Doing “entity wind down”. They have millions in the bank and it's dragging on and on and on and on. Needless to say they're bored stupid with half a days work at best each day. The administrators and lawyers are doing a great job of dragging this out, milking creditors funds for fees. They'll keep this going for a good year yet, you watch.
    Joke of the 2nd half of the year are 2 words; Unsold patents. They gave away everything else for peanuts, the only reason they don't do likewise with whatever is left is the cynical one. They're keeping the fee machine going

  • 4merEmployee22

    What are the chances of taking to courts these so called MONITOR

    and ADMINISTRAITORS for dragging this BP case to last longer than it shouldn't???

  • FraudEqualsJAIL

    The judge granted the extensions, don't forget…

  • protosphere

    Creditors also agree.

    The Moniitor is also the posterboy for conflict of interest.

    (also EDC/OSC/CEO/ Currie's friends at SEC/even Mulrooney has Order of Canada like Manley who's firm defends Dunn… I shake my head… pinch me)

    to be seen…

  • 4merEmployee22

    It is a shame, really? that someone is getting rich out of this

    Bankruptcy Protection proceedings.

    WHY did NORTEL not arranged or settled all what they really owed to the

    former employees??? INSTEAD , $$$ MILLIONS JUST GOING TO THESE

    BLOODY LAWFIRMS!!!! and Lawyers and Accountants?

  • wasthere

    While Abitibi Bowater will get out of bankruptcy protection next month after 18 months of 'real' restructuring, NortHELL is still in a mess(suing and getting sued) with their 'liquidation'(hidden under chap 11).

    http://www.ottawacitizen.com/story_print.html?id=3875747&sponsor=

    http://africa.ibtimes.com/articles/84808/20101124/nortel-genband-bankruptcy-telecommunications-equipment.htm

    This is the way

  • closeshave

    ah well…………

  • closeshave

    Ghosts of Thanksgivings past vaguely recall the Thanksgiving lunches at Richardson in balmy weather under blue skies….

  • 4merEmployee22

    How come there is Bankrupcty Protection from CREDITORS?

    and nothing mentioned about Bankruptcy Protection from Lawyers,

    Accountants and Lawfirms trying to ENRICH themselves out of this fiasco?

    Valid question? yeh? eh?

  • 4merEmployee22

    Akin to this scenario:

    Let's say, I owe someone $500.00 and declared Bankruptcy because I can't

    meet the payments anymore. I hired a Lawyer and the Lawyer charges

    $1,000 legal fee. Why would I hire a Lawyer to represent me in the

    BP court. and dole out the other $500.00?

    NORTEL claimed to be Bankrupt but there is Millions of dollars just going to

    Lawyers and Lawfirms? WHY? WHY? WHY?

  • 4merEmployee22

    VERY GOOD POINT!

    I WONDER IF THE SO CALLED MONITOR AND ADMINISTRATOR

    ARE REALLY AWARE OF THIS? OR THEY HAVE A FABRICATED

    LOOPHOLES TO IGNORE THIS?

  • whopperscan

    Any idea why the judge & creditors agree to let it keep going? At least the way it is, under Chapt 11? It is curious… It does seem to be a bankruptcy sale any way you look at it rather than administration.

  • FraudEqualsJAIL

    Theoretically liquidating under chapter 11 helps get a higher price for assets Vs Ch 7 fire-sale… so, theoretically, it could have been also in creditors interests to let it keep going… Only this is Nortel we are talking about. Bonuses made simple.

    Oh and happy Christmas shopping to Roth, Dunn, Owens, Z and entourage…

  • protosphere

    “NORTEL claimed to be Bankrupt but there is Millions of dollars just going to
    Lawyers and Lawfirms? WHY?”

    To draw up legal papers, determine value, present creditor protection to courts, terms of sale, get bonuses approved, stall, etc… lots of busy legal begals running like a chickens with their heads cut off as the tills cha-chings by the minute in harmony, thousands of hours in professional fees mounting to accompany the mountains of paper. Even the monitor is the poster boy for conflict of interest.They got away with murder like the OJ of antitrust in the US.

    Many things get paid first
    -Legal Fees as you mentioned piling up by the day in many millions
    -Lawsuit insurance premiums (they increased to almost 1/3rd of a billion get paid first too) in the event anyone wants to pick a fight
    -Bonuses needless to say, to maximize value this time, the lawyers drew up for big business agreeable yes men creditor pals, for judge to allow
    …and I wonder how they will handle the hundreds of millions in compound interest (over 10% on bonds portion) that have piled up /obviously even the prioritized creditors won't be paid in full
    (these are the big business creditor pals in Nortel's/RBC Currie's open marklets who lent them billions while neglecting their largest pension shortfall in their application beyond a mere footnote, before that loophole was immediately closed thereafter) See all the insider only CFOs too before Bankruptcy Binning when they swore before a forced inquiry they did not know using the ex-PM's airbus template mentioning sweating CEO's kids education for sympathy sake, only to have these ultimatum artists announce liquidating the very next day… endless I tell ya

    After nothing is left the bonus happy clowns have their regular suppliers and huge line of unsecured creditors, which ironically include past two CEOs since Dunn, as the board swaps cash for options yet again, one board member who advocates less regulation become Chief of CEOs

    Nothing for employees because the circumvented provincial bankruptcy to file federally loophole just as they liquidate under ch 11 like ch 7 loophole

    Shareholders didn't even sue after tanking their settlement to half with further revisions only after settling, as they claimed marl-to-market profits, expressed their largest asset as a tax write off, it was endless

    They are slippery to the core as Manley's law firm defends Dunn, and they still sought extraordinary bonuses, analogous to Bre-X, and due to the most common motive of white collar crime, bonuses, bonuses even to loot the corpse

    Billions go everywhere with by far from anything left

    They even sell depreciating patents last, double cross deals with RIM, as those that bid or bought their units also do not pay them now and they must sue.

    …endless profoundly astounding events with enough capital that thwarts Enron, and like Red Rose Tea, only in Canada…. shame

    In the USA they would serve quarter century sentences, in Canada they are rewarded… to be seen

  • legalrobbery

    I always appreciate your point of view Protosphere. It is a real shame and I believe the judge that has presided over this entire fiasco including the politicians should be brought up on ethics charges/violations for allowing any of this. Hell… there are people that should be in jail. It goes to show you how deep the root of evil goes and the corruption that money brings.

  • bankrupt_bob

    wow…. thought this place was gone forever… what happened?

    vive l'allaboutnortel ;>)

    (at least until nortel is gone)

  • AcrimoniousAl

    You forgot to give yourself a $1000 bonus

  • FraudEqualsJAIL

    I thought Mark Evans had pulled the plug on AAN Nortel-style. Not a word from Evans on AAN (his blog) since May… This isn't “winding down”, this is “giving up”.

  • bankrupt_bob

    Yeah. I thought he'd drop by once in a while for “old times sake.”

    I'm still waiting for a Christmas miracle.

    (Can I say that? ;>)

  • wasthere

    GDNT venture sold for $50 millions to Ericsson. Ok another firesale on chapter 7 ……oupss officially under chapter 11 but we all know the scam now !

    Patents on the auction block. Yeah what a joke, since there's no auction at all since a while but only a liquidation of assets.

  • protosphere

    Thankyou. I almost feel like Nortel's Julian Assange without any inside info than reiterating an aggregate of ongoing public events as they point to the obvious.

    What worries me most is that nothing is being done and our regulating /policing authorities on both sides of the border claim that they do not have the resources to deal with so much, yet it influences so much of our economy and almost everyone.

    Top cats make more, steal more the harder times get, as people see less… it is so obvious yet…

    I wouldn't suppose government would spring for the funds to rival one third of a billion dollars of lawsuit insurance either. Is this where we have to start than fight big business ultimatums that account for recoveries without jobs.

    I am all for small business, the backbone of our economy, the ones taxes and big business killed…everyone would be happier if the economy was booming wouldn't they. Almost illustrates how crooks are stupid to the obvious yet once again =)

  • protosphere

    The judge must abide by laws of bankruptcy. However, his hands are tied in how must “gleefully” accept this ever so complex process moving forward. Nortel wants to stall under the guise of getting more. Creditors agree, how comes the hammer, delay granted, bonuses all around yet again…

    The problem lies in the beyond belief amazement of how the courts can allow them to restructure assets under chapter 11 when really liquidating them like chapter 7. Who are they fooling, yet they fold federally to circumvent provincial laws that require them to pay severance, in favor of bonuses and big business creditors.

    Agreeable creditors yes men are happy to get more, to maximizing value for them, approving bonuses. It has been bonuses all along that even resulted in the largest fraud settlement in Canada and I am convinced, their very demise. Right down to looting the corpse or trading options yet again while increasing law suit insurance, all legally.

    The judge must abide by this very first company to ever bankrupt under ch 11 while really liquidating under chapter 7! Legal loopholes. Yet, what restructuring? Everyone knows they are liquidating and have stated this themselves right after a government inquiry the were reluctant to attend and forced by subpoena, to claim they didn't know they would fold with bankruptcy pro Binning on board after so many insider only CFOs but prove it beyond circumstance/the obvious, while CEO reiterating Murooney's template of using his kids education like they are destitute or something. Albeit not at the crime scene, this CEO defrauded from day one as he promoted then transferred criminally charged pal, as if Manleys firm defending Dunn isn't bad enough to ad insult to injury following their reluctance to chase past officers. Manley is Chief of CEOS now and favors less regulation. To be seen, only in Canada. He has order of Canada like Murooney. In Canada, Ebbers and Skilling would be knighted the highest accreditations it seems!

    Don't matter who was at the crime scene with this level of mass orchestration for what I call the worlds largest fraud on earth, $400 billion even thwarts Enron to down to nothing. Where is Jullian when we need him, wait he was charged with hacking Nortel way back! …heh

    The difference here is that Nortel sells their own assets than others selling them for them (with bonuses of course, of course, after cost cutting bonuses even though they folded, after back to profitability bonuses, bonuses for financial innovation, and bonuses to swat flies at evangelicalized no flies on us bored meetings denying the obvious cash bonuses all around hick up than traditional options) etc… always defying the obvious… prove it as they increase lawsuit insurance.

    To pay creditors under the guise of getting as much as they can, as they sell depreciating patents last. heh…

    Hardly worthy of restructuring even as a licensing company for the declining returns but so long as it is technically there, they can keep chapter 11 alive. Once they are sold too, it doesn't matter, it only leaves diving the proceeds with nothing left and plenty short for many other creditors.

    They are loophole artists from printing bonds to trying to avoid inquiry to revising numbers after settling, etc., to folding where Provincial bankruptcy laws state they must pay severances but federal bankruptcy laws circumvent this provision. Guess where they filed in favor of these agreeable preferred creditors who neglected their largest pension shortfall in Canada.

    Even if laws are changed, they had employees sign a waiver, after gag orders, and endless loss credibility. Reptiles on steroids I tell ya, god forgive me.

    It is under these loopholes, their army of lawyers, and powerful contacts in the open markets, business, and past governments that allowed them to get away with murder. I guess you can tell I am not please with Nortel's actions over the years and what they did to so many North American well educated lives. Want to laugh, they were once a good company! Can't help to get passionate under such grave, grave injustice. And what's changed, look at our joke OSC, their pals that fined them nothing…I can go on forever… it is endless… also amazing is nothing has changed, or can be done about it all…no matter how hard we bellyache to their horsefeathers

  • protosphere

    WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Hacked Nortel in 1991

    http://www.time.com/time/world…

    He has been called “the Robin Hood of hacking.”
    Julian Assange believes that total transparency is for the good of all people.

    In 1991, at the age of 20, Assange and some fellow hackers broke into the master terminal of Nortel, the Canadian telecom company.

    http://indiepropub.com/wikilea…/

    After the Nortel incident, Assange started to delve into government activities which he perceived as being unjust.

    http://pamela-j.blogspot.com/2…

    Assange hacked into computer systems at night (Nortel's), when they were semi-dormant, but this time a Nortel administrator was signed on. Sensing that he might be caught, Assange approached him with humor. “I have taken control,” he wrote, without giving his name. “For years, I have been struggling in this grayness. But now I have finally seen the light.” The administrator did not reply, and Assange sent another message: “It’s been nice playing with your system. We didn’t do any damage and we even improved a few things.”

    ”Ken Day, the lead investigator, told me. “He had some altruistic motive. I think he acted on the belief that everyone should have access to everything.”

    A computer-security team working for Nortel in Canada drafted an incident report alleging that the hacking had caused damage that would cost more than a hundred thousand dollars to repair. The chief prosecutor, describing Assange’s near-limitless access, told the court, “It was God Almighty walking around doing what you like.”

    at his final sentencing the judge said, “There is just no evidence that there was anything other than sort of intelligent inquisitiveness and the pleasure of being able to—what’s the expression—surf through these various computers.” Assange’s only penalty was to pay the Australian state a small sum in damages.

  • 4merEmployee22

    It would have been nice if he hacked Nortel in 2009 ,when they filed for BP, and revealed who were the top exec and BOD's who received the big

    BONUSES!! Bonuses tied up with Bankruptcy is very unethical and

    morally wrong! But nowadays… the word 'moral' is just a word in the

    Dictionary.

  • Norteltruth

    Maybe you guys who are so smart should start to follow the leads into the Government, you might be surprised…… Banks, Bondholders, MPs, …. EX MPs… Health and Welfare Trust , CRA blindness…..

    Judge breaking CRA rules in money distribution of H&WT and no one is reacting?!

    Some people lying in their affidavit…. Still roaming free with money overflowing…..

    People are apathic that is te problem…. Come on get to it, find the truth ……

  • bankrupt_bob

    Some “Auction Block!” World's longest auction according to the Guiness Stout Book of Records. ;>)

  • protosphere

    Published 1 hour 11 minutes ago:

    http://www.thestar.com/opinion…

    Ex-Nortel workers: Cutting off the disabled

    These workers deserved better from Nortel’s discredited management, which botched their disability plan.

    These Senators rejected a proposal by Senator Art Eggleton to grant the 400 disabled ex-Nortel employees preferred status over other creditors when the telecommunications conglomerate is finally wound up under court supervision. Many of them are sick and unemployable, and say they will have to go on welfare.

    Industry Minister Tony Clement warned that any relief for the workers would have prompted other creditors to litigate. But that’s no reason not to legislate. Tory Senator Vim Kochhar suggested other creditors could voluntarily come to the aid of the disabled workers — implying that they should depend on the kindness of strangers. Rather than corporate charity, moral clarity is what these workers need.

  • bankrupt_bob

    Wait! I have it! Let's do another reverse split!

    1 share for each 10,000 ought to do it. Then, just briefly, we could revisit the glory daze when shares were over $100. (I'd have nearly two shares! ;>)

  • protosphere

    Why did Julian Asange hack Nortel before the largest frraud settlement in Canada that the OSC regulating authority fined them nothing for. Why is Manley's firm defending Dunn when Manley was a board member and has Order of Canada like Mulrooney, Manley is even Chief od CEOs now, we even had a US Admiral on board with a powerful plea bargained dream team in the limelight, etc… why look at the USA when we can look at our own backyard. Even our tolerant doctor teaching native studies called for his assassination… Keystone stupidity on steroids

    Here is a great post on current developments:

    Welcome to the brave new world of “1984″ democracy.

    Our “democratic” governments and their corporate masters were not at all “impressed” with Mr. Assange and Wikileaks crashing their members only party, so they proceeded to arrest him and shut down Wikileaks.

    If, as they suggest Mr.Assange was in possession of “secret documents” and/or he stole those documents, where are the legal charges under existing laws?

    This travesty of justice is NOT about Mr. Assange breaking the law, this fiasco is all about our governments/corporations getting caught in outright lies, deception and manufacturing of “facts” to further the interests of our corporate/government masters.

    One of 1000 examples;

    Did Iraq posses WMD? NO. Did Iraq support terrorist organizations? NO. Who did/does? Our ALLIES in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states/nations. Why did the US invade Iraq killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people? Because the oil corporations insisted that the governments they bought and paid for do so.

    In the future when our corporate/government masters come to us preaching “democratic values”, PLEASE do remember how those values did/are working out for Mr.Assange.

  • protosphere

    Delisted everywhere, NTBK,PK only trade on the unregulated pink sheets until patents are sold and this name, analogous to Bre-X. is finally and thankfully gone

    Trades for around 14 cents on the dollar from $1200 Cdn or $800 US adjusted or a fraction of a penny (1/14th of a cent) extreme 10X presplit that they said was to draw institutional investors, like their big business creditors that neglected the largest pension shortfall in Canada when they printed billions in Nortel paper

    but ex Nortel CEO Jean Monty saw billions shorting Nortel stock!

    “Bert Hill & Vito Pilieci. The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ont.: Dec 29, 2001.

    “BCE Inc. made the biggest splash in the media convergence game by snapping up CTV and The Globe and Mail with hardly a drop of debt. It did it by betting that the price of a huge pile of Nortel Networks stock might fall and made a $4-billion windfall when Nortel stock plunged.

    BCE is headed by Jean Monty, the Nortel chief executive officer from 1993 to 1997 who groomed John Roth for the top job.”

  • yes4aapl

    It's time to say Goodbye to Nortel.
    ————————————
    Seek the Truth!
    The truth will set you free.
    You ask what is the truth?
    I tell you the truth which fuels Heaven is Love.
    There is only one Law in Heaven.
    The Law is Love
    Do on Earth what is done in Heaven!
    You ask what to do?
    I tell you, Love each other!
    Love God, Love yourself and Love your neighbor as You Love yourself and as You Love God.
    That's the Truth!
    There is no other Truth!
    If someone says otherwise, he/she is a Liar!
    One would ask but why do you post that on NT message board?
    The answer is simple.
    Nortel was built on Lies.
    Any corporation built on Lies will fall in pieces, will go to Zero as did Nortel.
    Watching Nortel I discovered the Truth.
    I discovered the universal Truth, the universal Love.
    How to repay Nortel for their Lies?
    I say repay them with Love!
    I say Love Frank Dunn!
    Love John Roth!
    Love Mike Zafirowski!
    Forgive them their sins and Love them as I do.
    I Stan Piasta have forgiven them for the money I lost investing in NT.
    That is the Truth.
    There is no other Truth.
    If someone says otherwise he/she is a Liar.
    Don't be Liars!
    Lie is the fuel of Hell!
    Say Goodbye to Nortel!
    It's time to say Goodbye to all Strong Sell and Strong Buy alike!
    I wish we all from this message board meet in Heaven.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
    http://stanpiasta.com

  • 4merEmployee22

    Hell No! We wont go! HELL NO WE WONT GO!

    We will never let NORTEL go unpunished!

  • yes4aapl

    I was talking about personal interaction. What about corporation and BK proceedings? I heard that there were some new rulings confirming the status quo.
    btw
    The chapter 11 plan

    Chapter 11 usually results in reorganization of the debtor's business or personal assets and debts, but can also be used as a mechanism for liquidation.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C…

  • FraudEqualsJAIL

    Final bids due for Nortel patents ?

    http://www.reuters.com/article…

  • bankrupt_bob

    Final? Uhhhh….. as in, finally final, or nearly final, or almost final, or final until it's finally final, or we didn't really mean it's finally final, but only nearly final, or it's final after the final extension of finality….. or….. or…. or…… this might be the way, this was nortel?

  • protosphere

    “analysts say are worth more than $1 billion”

    With only 7 key LTE patents over such a short development time.

    I'd be surprised to see them fetch over 400 million… Who are the analysts that say these depreciating patents are worth a billion dollars? We saw their recent financial numbers.

  • bankrupt_bob
  • bankrupt_bob

    tax implications of this worthless POS company stock:

    http://www.fairmark.com/capgai…

  • bankrupt_bob

    Well, the MBA's have figured it all out:

    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b1c4…

    ;>)

  • http://stanpiasta.com Stan Piasta

    Professor Howard Storm has message for all Nortel employees and investors.
    He says, ask the source!
    It'll take just few minutes to get the message.
    http://stanpiasta.com/website-…/
    Howard Storm has changed his life. How?
    He found the answers!
    It'd be wasted time, 7 years, for all of us on AAN forum if you ignore message from Professor Howard Storm.
    I wish you all looong life beyond 99! /standard for humans on Earth is 120/,much beyond that!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2FXIITH6LI4TD4LHRWO5TPEMZU Anant Puranik

    The race to acquiring the patent heats up. Who will win the war..the trolls or the big corporations? http://patentsind.blogspot.com…

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