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One of the big news in the Month of August 2011: Google to buy Motorola Mobility. Google licenses Android OS to handset makers such as HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson and Motorola. Would Google be competing with its Android licensees by buying Motorola?
Imagine if Microsoft bought HP Personal Systems Group and started making its own branded computers?
Google has posted quotes from Android partners regarding the assimilation acquisition of Motorola.
Samsung, Sony Ericsson, HTC and LG in unison say:
“We for one welcome our Android Overlord.”
Well, they didn’t say that. Thy did say something eerily similar. I really wonder what these four Android partners really think.
In Google’s Official Blog, Larry Page, Google CEO says:
Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.
Note to Larry Page:
HTC has those S3 patents that Apple is found to be infringing upon and Samsung is suing/countersuing Apple for patent infringement. Buy them too, and Google would have more in its patent arsenal.
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Note to anyone who cares:
Both HTC and Samsung make Windows Phone 7…….errrr phones. LG also makes that awkwardly named phones, but do they have worthwhile patent portfolio? -editor
I might have been watching too much of Star Trek: Enterprise on Netflix. The “Temporal Cold War” arc might have been a ridiculous plot but it was actually enjoyable to watch.
Google just announced its upcoming acquisition of Motorola Mobility.
We recently explained how companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android. The U.S. Department of Justice had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to “protect competition and innovation in the open source software community” and it is currently looking into the results of the Nortel auction. Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.
Who would’ve thunk that Google would have to categorize Apple and Microsoft as common enemies? Motorolans and Googlers are combining forces against the Apples, Microsofties and Oracles. Don’t forget Samsungers and the HTCees. Android is under attack and Googlers are not going to take it anymore.
Patent Cold War is going strong.
Google has just announced its upcoming acquisition of Motorola Mobility, the maker of Droid line.
This is an interesting development since recently Google accuses Microsoft of violating confidentiality agreement. Microsoft in its lawsuit against Motorola was said to show Android source code to an expert witness without Google’s consent.
I’m a bit confused why showing Android source code needs Google’s consent. I always heard that Android is an Open Source project. Well, apparently it is not. -editor
Motorola on January 4th, 2011 separated its core business into two companies; Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions.
By acquiring Motorola Mobility, Google will be able to control both Android software and hardware.
This should make HTC really happy. -editor
This is so unlike Microsoft and Nokia “partnership”.
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Google is buying Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion while Microsoft acquired Nokia without buying it. – editor
Google finally stepped up and intervened in the lawsuit filed by Lodsys against Android developers. Lodsys has been busy filing lawsuits against Android and iOS developers for patent infringement. Apple and Google both have licensed Lodsys’ Patent Portfolios which then included in iOS and Android respectively.
The short story:
There’s Google with Android OS and there’s everybody else with everything else. Google’s Legal Counsel said that companies like Microsoft, Oracle and Apple are trying strangle Android over bogus patents. Microsoft’s Legal Counsel said that they asked Google to jointly bid for Novell patents, and Google said no. Google responded that it’s a trap.
The most interesting part of this Tech Soap Opera are the fans (for lack of better terms). For example, a post by John Gruber (a perceived Apple fanboy and an accused Google hater) was submitted to Hacker News. The post draws anti-Gruber comments regardless of the content. It shouldn’t be about Gruber; it should have been about Google, its competitors and patents.
There is an immediate need of Patent Law Reform.
In the meantime, fans of each faction are reposting the articles and tweets.