So-called LTE networks promise to dramatically speed up the
mobile Internet. Too bad patent squabbles may muck things up.
FORTUNE -- As dramatically shown in Apple and Samsung's epic
legal conflict, patents have become the new currency among tech giants.
Dull-sounding legal instruments have become all-important, not necessarily
because of their financial worth but for their strategic and marketing value.
Simply put, patents are a means to gaining a competitive advantage.