Comments on: CyanogenMod in trouble? http://www.webnetta.com/2009/09/25/cyanogenmod-in-trouble/ Android News, Hacks and Mods Fri, 26 Nov 2010 04:25:32 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Brahmson http://www.webnetta.com/2009/09/25/cyanogenmod-in-trouble/comment-page-1/#comment-161 Brahmson Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:49:48 +0000 http://www.webnetta.com/?p=154#comment-161 In practicality Google now controls the Android market. If you go down the list of apps they close-sourced you will see that the barrier to entry into the market is too high for an open community to penetrate. Core components like "Market", "Sync" and others are just few examples. The question is not the licensing rights they may have but the overall control they exert on the market. On the face of it one might think that Apple has the legal right to control the iPhone market. Not that simple. Both Apple and Google can do so as long as the FCC does not decide that it has a chilling effect on the market. You can disagree with the FCC's right to interfere, but that's another matter (the use of regulated airwaves gives the regulator some unusual powers). Google just gave Apple a big argument to defent their rejection of Google voice. And if this community of Android fans brings this issue up, Google may realize that it is in their own best LEGAL interests to back off. Other valuable arguments do not impress lawyers. Lawyers only understand legal arguments and once this issue is brought up to their attention they have a fiduciary obligation to inform Google of the exposure with the FCC case. In practicality Google now controls the Android market. If you go down the list of apps they close-sourced you will see that the barrier to entry into the market is too high for an open community to penetrate. Core components like “Market”, “Sync” and others are just few examples.

The question is not the licensing rights they may have but the overall control they exert on the market. On the face of it one might think that Apple has the legal right to control the iPhone market. Not that simple. Both Apple and Google can do so as long as the FCC does not decide that it has a chilling effect on the market. You can disagree with the FCC’s right to interfere, but that’s another matter (the use of regulated airwaves gives the regulator some unusual powers).

Google just gave Apple a big argument to defent their rejection of Google voice.

And if this community of Android fans brings this issue up, Google may realize that it is in their own best LEGAL interests to back off. Other valuable arguments do not impress lawyers. Lawyers only understand legal arguments and once this issue is brought up to their attention they have a fiduciary obligation to inform Google of the exposure with the FCC case.

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