The acquisition sailed through smoothly, and Google was quick to try to assure other Android handset makers, who are now both partners and competitors, that they would not become second-class citizens.
“The acquisition will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android, and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business,” said the company in a statement.
You can’t blame the likes of HTC, LG and Samsung for being nervous. Google already sells its own phones, such as the Galaxy Nexus, which are often the first with leading-edge technology. If Motorola phones now get early access to Android technologies, Google will look a lot more like Apple, and the viability of the broader marketplace would suffer.
And don’t even get me started about what Google’s ownership of Motorola’s patents might mean to innovation in the handset market.
Speaking of patents, well, according to a jury, the answer was clear in Oracle America Inc., Plaintiff, v. Google Inc., Defendant. The jury said that, no, Google did not infringe on two patents acquired by Oracle when it purchased Sun Microsystems in 2009.
Patent RE38104, called “Method and apparatus for resolving data references in generated code,” was invented by James Gosling in 2003. It covers the way that Java source code is turned into Java byte code, and then run by a Java virtual machine.
Patent US6061520, called “Method and system for performing static initialization,” was invented by Frank Yellin and Richard Tuck. This patent covers efficient means for a virtual machine to statically initialize an array.
Bottom line: Oracle is not going to get billions of dollars in damages from Google. Don’t cry for Oracle, though: It is hugely profitable and has plenty of cash. This would have been a windfall for its investors, nothing more.
What will Google do with the savings? Invest in mobile phone technology, which it can market first in Motorola-branded handsets? That’s what its competitors probably fear.
Alan Zeichick is editorial director of SD Times. Read his blog at ztrek.blogspot.com.
Microsoft and Nokia deny Google's 'patent troll' claims - Crave
Microsoft and Nokia have hit back at Google over claims they employ a 'troll' company to enforce patents and push up prices for consumers, the Guardian reports.
On Thursday night Google filed a regulatory complaint with the European Commission, the US Department of Justice and US Federal Commission. The complaint claims Nokia and Microsoft "are colluding to raise the costs of mobile devices for consumers, creating patent trolls that sidestep promises both companies have made. They should be held accountable, and we hope our complaint spurs others to look into these practices."
An Ottawa-based company called Mosaid seems to be the main cause of concern. Mosaid took control of 2,000 Nokia patents last September, and Microsoft has also handed it a number of its own. Google is concerned Mosaid will sue companies making Android phones for infringing patents.
And we thought these patent cases were on the way out.
Microsoft described Google's claim as a "desperate tactic". Nokia, meanwhile, denied it was working with Microsoft to protect patents. In a statement it accused Google of wasting the European commission's time and resources "on such a frivolous complaint." It went on: "We agree with Google that Android devices have significant IP infringement issues, and would welcome constructive efforts to stop unauthorised use of Nokia intellectual property." Ouch.
The Finnish phone company also encouraged mobile-makers to sign up to its licensing program.
Firms pay 'patent trolls' to protect their intellectual property, with the troll company pocketing a slice of the earnings. Mosaid is thought to earn a third of the royalties and hand the rest over to the companies paying them, in this case Nokia and Microsoft. It estimated the royalties could earn it more than $1bn in the next decade.
Nokia is currently suing Viewsonic, claiming it hasn't licensed Nokia's patents essential for selling a tablet in Europe.
Looks like things could be about to get nasty. Let me know what you make of it in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
EU probes Motorola for overcharging on patents - EurActiv.com
The European Commission, the EU antitrust regulator in the 27-country European Union, said it had opened two investigations into Motorola Mobility based on complaints by Microsoft and Apple.
The EU executive will investigate whether Motorola failed to honour "irrevocable commitments" it made to standard-setting organisations, which produce international standards for information and communication technologies.
It will also consider whether Motorola offered unfair licensing conditions for its standard-essential patents. It can fine companies up to 10% of their global turnover if found guilty of breaching EU rules.
Microsoft asked EU antitrust regulators in February to intervene in its patent dispute with Motorola.
Commission may also investigate smartphone maker Samsung
Google had pledged to license Motorola patents on fair and reasonable terms just before EU regulators cleared its bid to buy Motorola.
EU regulators are also investigating whether Samsung Electronics Co Ltd has infringed EU antitrust rules in its patent disputes with Apple in courts across Europe.
EU Competition Commissioner Joaquín Almunia said last month that companies holding these "standard essential" patents had considerable market power, which could be used to harm competition and that this was unacceptable.
Almunia said last September that Google's planned purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. will not influence an ongoing antitrust probe into the Internet search engine, which he is currently considering.
Motorola claims Dubai advert is longest ever - AME Info
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