Gateway (And all huge companies like Dell, HP, Sony etc) purchases patents all over the place.
It has NOTHING to do with actually caring about the technology they're purchasing and everything to do with covering their butts legally.
If you come up with some fantastic new video/audio technology there are pretty good odds that your company will find itself facing a few lawsuits because some other company will claim to have created something similar and has a patent.
If you have a warehouse full of your own patents then you just bring yours, show a valid comparison to your new product (Even though it was created on it's own and has nothing to do with it.) and you win your lawsuit.
It is ALL about who has collected the widest collection of patents, and nothing else. Which is why Gateway retained them.
