Monday, February 13th 2012
Google to Buy Motorola Mobility
Today Fox Business is reporting U.S. and European regulators approved Google Inc's $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility on Monday and said they would keep a sharp eye on the web search giant to ensure patents critical to the telecom industry would be licensed at fair prices. The U.S. Justice Department also approved an Apple Inc -led consortium's purchase of a trove of patents from bankrupt Canadian company Nortel Networks.Both the Justice Department and European antitrust authorities said that they would monitor how patents are used to ensure they comply with antitrust rules. Antitrust enforcers on both sides of the Atlantic are concerned that patents essential to ensuring communications devices sold by different companies work together are licensed for a reasonable fee.
"The (Justice Department's antitrust) division will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action to stop any anticompetitive use of SEP (standard essential patent) rights," the department said in a statement. Google, whose Android software is the top operating system for Internet-enabled smart phones, said in August that it would buy phone-maker Motorola for its 17,000 patents and 7,500 patent applications, as it looks to compete with rivals such as Apple and defend itself and Android manufacturers in patent litigations.
The deal will give Google one of the mobile phone industry's largest patent libraries, as well as hardware manufacturing operations that will allow Google to develop its own line of smart phones.Google, the newest major entrant to the mobile market, is already being sued for patent infringement by Oracle Corp , which is seeking up to $6 billion.
The legal battles over patents between various technology and smartphone firms has prompted the European Commission to open an investigation into legal tactics used by Samsung Electronics against Apple and whether these breach EU antitrust rules.
Google's move to buy Motorola Mobility came shortly after it tried and failed to buy Nortel's patents. The winner was an Apple-led consortium, which includes Research in Motion Ltd, Microsoft Corp, EMC Corp, Ericsson and Sony Corp, which agreed in July to pay $4.5 billion for 6,000 patents and patent applications.
Source:
Fox Business
The deal will give Google one of the mobile phone industry's largest patent libraries, as well as hardware manufacturing operations that will allow Google to develop its own line of smart phones.Google, the newest major entrant to the mobile market, is already being sued for patent infringement by Oracle Corp , which is seeking up to $6 billion.
The legal battles over patents between various technology and smartphone firms has prompted the European Commission to open an investigation into legal tactics used by Samsung Electronics against Apple and whether these breach EU antitrust rules.
Google's move to buy Motorola Mobility came shortly after it tried and failed to buy Nortel's patents. The winner was an Apple-led consortium, which includes Research in Motion Ltd, Microsoft Corp, EMC Corp, Ericsson and Sony Corp, which agreed in July to pay $4.5 billion for 6,000 patents and patent applications.
19 Comments on Google to Buy Motorola Mobility
They do both make a great product i like my Android because im a geek but i would get an iPhone for my mom.
I wish they put half as much energy into making a better product as they do trying to screw each other under the table.
Remember Cupcake 1.5 android?
That was a joke compared to iOS in its time the problem is Apple hasn't been keeping up so they try to sue everyone.
Functionality is leaps and bounds better then even the 4S on my Captivate ICS and i payed 100 bucks for it almost 2 years ago, abit lacking on speed due to its age.
Now moto needs to make something besides the razor for AT&T tho I will prob stick with Samsung can't beat rhino glass
I love how Samsung and Apple got in the story.
The Motorola Q was my first smartphone, now I'm running ICS!
I hope T-Mobile keeps their act together so I can use some of the Google/Motorola goodness.
suing over rounded corners and slide to unlock? that stuff just shits me to no end.
It's even worse with tablets. In order for Samsung's Galaxy Tab to be sold, Apple demanded they remove pretty much everything that made it better than an iPad. Which leaves Samsung unable to compete and Apple still top dog. It's terrible.
Well, if you read past the headline.
apples worst nightmare is a competent, unified front of competitors.
Once they start doing military contracts we're all fucked.
Intel
Apple
MS &
Google
will end up owning pretty much everything (tech) 5-10 more years down the road.
As my carrier say's: "The future is friendly". It truly is and by the look's of it it's only gonna get friendlier :) Thank you Samsung, Google, Android and everyone else who is NOT Apple :o