2010 Ford Escape Limited Sport Utility 4-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ford fights back against patent trolls

Some people are just awful. Some organizations are just as awful. And when those people join those organizations, we get stories like this one, where Ford has spent the past several years combatting so-called patent trolls. According to Automotive News, these malicious organizations have filed over a dozen lawsuits against the company since 2012. They work by purchasing patents, only to later accuse companies of misusing intellectual property, despite the fact that the so-called patent assertion companies never actually, you know, do anything with said intellectual property. AN reports that both Hyundai and Toyota have been victimized by these companies, with the former forced to pay $11.5 million to a company called Clear With Computers. Toyota, meanwhile, settled with Paice LLC, over its hybrid tech. The world's largest automaker agreed to pay $5 million, on top of $98 for every hybrid it sold (if the terms of the deal included each of the roughly 1.5 million hybrids Toyota sold since 2000, the company would have owed $147 million). Including the previous couple of examples, AN reports 107 suits were filed against automakers last year alone. But Ford is taking action to prevent further troubles... kind of. The company has signed on with a firm called RPX, in what sounds strangely like a protection racket. Automakers like Ford pay RPX around $1.5 million each year for access to its catalog of patents, which it spent nearly $1 billion building. "We take the protection and licensing of patented innovations very seriously," Ford told AN via email. "And as many smart businesses are doing, we are taking proactive steps to protect against those seeking patent infringement litigation." What are your thoughts on this? Should this patent business be better managed? Is it reasonable that companies purchase patents only to file suit against the companies that build actual products? Have your say in Comments.

Dan Gurney, legendary all-American racer, dies at 86

American racer Dan Gurney, who raced and won in Formula One, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, IndyCar and NASCAR in the 1960s and who started a trend by spraying champagne on the victory podium, died in California on Sunday. He was 86. The news was announced by his wife, Evi, and family in a statement. "With one last smile on his handsome face, Dan drove off into the unknown just before noon today, January 14, 2018," they said. "In deepest sorrow, with gratitude in our hearts for the love and joy you have given us during your time on this earth, we say, 'Godspeed.'" The family said Gurney, whose Formula One career spanned one of the most glamorous and dangerous periods of the sport's history from 1959 to 1970, had died of complications from pneumonia. He won seven IndyCar races, five in NASCAR and four in F1, placing second twice in the Indianapolis 500. He raced in multiple series concurrently throughout much of his career. He was the first of just three drivers to win races in four series — sports cars, Indycars, Formula One and NASCAR. The feat was later replicated by Mario Andretti and Joan Pablo Montoya. At the height of his popularity, in 1964, Car and Driver promoted the idea of electing him president. He retired from racing in 1970 but returned for a NASCAR race in 1980. Between 1965 and 2012, his All American Racers, which he founded with Carroll Shelby and Goodyear, built 158 race cars and is the only constructor to have built a winning F1 Grand Prix car, a winning Indy 500 car and a winning Sports Car. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Reporting by Alan Baldwin Featured Gallery Dan Gurney obituary View 20 Photos Motorsports Ferrari Ford Porsche IndyCar dan gurney

Ford could post best-ever profits in Q1 2013

Analysts are saying that Ford Motor Company may have earned a record $2.7 billion pretax profit in North America during the first quarter of 2013, a number that represents its highest first quarter profit ever. The impressive earnings are further proof that the American automaker is making a solid comeback as the economy begins to recover.
Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan Chase are estimating that Ford's first quarter North American profit may have topped 12 percent. The firm cited the automaker's fresh lineup, but noted that CEO Alan Mulally needs to uphold the pace as the company works to gain ground in the car and utility segments.
Ford's success has been led by increased demand for its F-Series pickup, the best-selling vehicle in the US for 31 years, and by the Fusion sedan that recently recorded its best-ever quarterly sales in the domestic market. Ford is expected to release its first-quarter revenue on Wednesday, of this week.