For the 802.11 patents, it claimed a net payment of 1.15 percent to 1.73 percent of Microsoft end-product prices, which would mean millions of dollars more per year.

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For their part, investors in convertible bonds got a small safety-net in the form of an interest payment, but also much of the upside of the shares.

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In hot spots like Las Vegas and Florida, real estate flippers have discovered that a modest down payment and a little patience can net them tens (even hundreds) of thousands of dollars in profits, sometimes tax-free.

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