The patent wars explained [Infographic]

It’s difficult to keep up with who is suing who these days. In the tech world, Apple and Samsung have been at each other’s throats for some time now. Nokia and Apple also recently settled their differences in court.

Even when you’re aware of the plaintiffs it’s still difficult to know why one tech giant is suing another tech giant. It can be something as simple as a glass screen or as complicated as confusion over what rights one party has in manufacturing parts for the other party.

The one thing you can be fairly sure of is that patents are involved somehow. They were even a large motivating factor in Google’s recent purchase of Motorola Mobility. The deal netted the search giant some 17 000 granted patents in the US, with another 7 000 pending.

In a bid to untangle the world of patents, small business insurer Business Insurance Quotes has put together an infographic explaining the history, processes and recent impacts of this legal monster on the tech world.