That was after going on about the iniquities of using intellectual property to quell competition. What did it then do? Google bought a huge stash just to ‘defend itself’ (anyone else hear an echo of the US gun law controversy?). And now, like the crazed evangelist who hurled a bible at Woody Allen (he survived because of a bullet he kept in his breast pocket), Google has fired off a patent claim at BT because, it’s said, BT had fired one at it first.

BT launched a case against Google in 2011 (back then everyone was doing it). Now Google says that BT has infringed patents it now holds on a PC telephony technique. The companies are supposed to square up in a Delaware court for a mediation hearing in July on the original BT filing.