Now that Google owns a handset maker, will the $12.5 billion deal end Motorola’s patent-infringement complaints against Apple? Not likely, says the Android creator.
“Those lawsuits will continue and will be managed by Motorola as they are now…” Google’s Legal Chief David C. Drummond told reporters. Although he wouldn’t say more about the lawsuits, the Google executive must receive comfort from owning nearly 25,000 patents. The new cache of intellectual property puts Google “in a very good position to protect the Android ecosystem for all our partners,” Drummond said.
In October of 2010, the handset maker filed a claim with the U.S. International Trade Commission, charging Apple violated Motorola patents covering 3G, Wi-Fi and other core technologies used in many devices made by the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant. A month later, Apple went to the ITC, charging Motorola violated six multi-touch patents.
Recently, competition for control of the smartphone market has opened up a new field of battle: patents. Although Google recently decried Apple’s $5B acquisition of Nortel patents as against the competitive spirit, Monday’s acquisition of Motorola provides the Android maker with a new weapon in court.
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
15 responses to “Moto Deal Won’t Keep Google Out of Court”
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Well it won’t keep Google out of the court, but it will make Apple (or Microsoft) think twice before suing an Android handset maker.
Google is evil.
Don’t be Google.
Well, Google MIGHT just have sealed it’s own fate.
With now Motorola + Android as one, it would be MUCH EASIER for Apple to sue both of them together at the same time with any future patent violations. Its like killing 2 birds with one stone.
Lets imagine Google+Motorola’s first product, a ‘G-Moto-Droid’,
Apple files lawsuit successfully claiming that the G-Moto-Droid violates some of Apple’s phone interface/interaction patents, or etc…, then the WHOLE G-Moto-Droid gets a court order to halt it’s shipment worldwide! Google+Motorola’s share prices plunges, (like what is now happening to Samsung’s Galaxy Tag 10.1 and possibly the upcoming Galaxy S II ) then it suddenly could appear that Apple has just landed the BIGGEST knock-out punch EVER in the history of the tech industry.
Google’s purchase of Motorola is a double-edged sword, an extremely sharp one. Somebody’s gonna get hurt, it could be themselves.
Mark my words as something like this has a high chance of happening in the future.
Co-sign! Plus, it was obvious when Motorola sued Apple that they did that because they knew Apple was about to file.
This won’t protect Google from Apple lawsuits. Remember, Apple paid for more than half of the “Nortel” patents $4.6B purchase price & got mainly 4G/LTE patents. History shows Apple is always many steps ahead of their so-called “competition”.
Much Easier for Apple to sue both of them?
Not so fast.
It Actually makes it near impossible to defeat Google now. It’s still (possible) for Apple to destroy both (or Microsoft) but its going to be a huge feat to take down Google now.
The reason is, Motorola has a hell of a patent portfolio. Apparently Motorola has the largest amount of patents of any company regarding to cell phones. Also, they have a shitload of patents dealing with everyday cell phone use, since they practically invented the cell phone. (along with Nokia)
Great fairy tale, by the way. ;P
http://www.pcworld.com/article…
(there was a better on out there, but can’t find it)
Well if you haven’t heard already, dealing with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 case in Germany, A third party found out that, basically Apple mislead the judge to make it appear that Samsung is copying them. Apparently several photos where manipulated (photo shopped) or shot in control conditions to make the SGT (Samsung Galaxy Tab) appear /more/ like an iPad than it really is. So, that all means, Apple won a case on fake evidence.
Probably not good for apple to be in that position.
Actually, it’s Apple and Microsoft who got the short straw, because well, this is just like the Nortel patents, but much better!
If Apple really wants to “sue” either, they are going to enter a battle that will end up causing damage on them as well, since all they will need to do is just find a patent or two and throw it back at Apple.
In no way, is its a double edge sword. Well, there is always a possibility that there is one sucessful lawsuit that could destroy Motorola (and Google) but that possibility is nowhere bigger than someone giving Apple a knock-out punch. Plus, Google has an advantage, lets say Motorola gets that knockout punch, it really won’t effect Google that much, because the largest (overall) android makers do not include Motorola. Motorola is pretty high up, but Follows, Samsung, HTC and I believe Sony and LG as well. So basically world’s fifth largest Android handset maker, if not lower. So, Apple killing Motorola is not going to kill Google or Android since Motorola (Phone wise) is not as important as the others. Of course google’s stock prices will fall a bit, but not that much, since Motorola doesn’t ship out the volumes of phones that these other handset makers make.
But, nice try still. ;oP
Guess you didn’t get the memo. ;oP
what Google picked up included 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G patents. And a whole load of other patents regarding cellular devices. So, it basically protects Google from Apple. And possibly could put Apple in the hot seat, since a lot of those patents Google picked up, about every single cellular device uses.