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Topic: Mobility

DOJ approves Google, Motorola Mobility merger

Summary: Following a seal of approval from the European Commission, now the U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly following suit in the matter of Google's proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility.

Rachel King

By for Between the Lines |

Google could be well on its way to finalizing its proposed $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility.

Following the news earlier on Monday that the European Commission has cleared the way for the merger between the Android OS maker and its mobile OEM partner, now the U.S. Department of Justice has approved the deal as well.

Reported first via Twitter by Reuters technology correspondent Poornima Gupta, Google confirmed the news shortly later on its official blog.

The DOJ published a report after closing its investigation of this proposed merger as well as a few others, and all of them seem to have a common thread: patents.

After a thorough review of the proposed transactions, the Antitrust Division has determined that each acquisition is unlikely to substantially lessen competition and has closed these three investigations. In all of the transactions, the division conducted an in-depth analysis into the potential ability and incentives of the acquiring firms to use the patents they proposed acquiring to foreclose competitors...

...The division’s investigations focused on whether the acquiring firms could use these patents to raise rivals’ costs or foreclose competition. The division concluded that the specific transactions at issue are not likely to significantly change existing market dynamics.

For reference, the other cases in question in this report were certain Nortel patent acquisitions by Apple, Microsoft and RIM, as well as Apple's interest in Novell patents.

Should Google get its wish and officially acquire Motorola Mobility, it will also get Motorola's portfolio of approximately 17,000 issued patents and 6,800 applications, including hundreds of patents relevant to wireless devices that Motorola Mobility committed to license through its participation in standard-setting organizations.

Not to mention that Google will also get a new hardware wing of its own for the development of mobile devices and more.

Related:

Topics: Mobility, Banking, Google

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16 comments
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  • now the legal goons should drop their lawsuits

    against FOSS or face dire consequences!
    The Linux Geek
    Reply Vote

    • RE: DOJ approves Google, Motorola Mobility merger

      @The Linux Geek -

      That won't happen.

      Google is doing this out of self-interest. Especially with the other goons out there knowing that competition will hurt them, patent trolling is all anybody has got left in our so-called society.

      Get the popcorn out, with butter.
      HypnoToad72
      Reply Vote

  • RE: DOJ approves Google, Motorola Mobility merger

    Good, now it's a fight.
    slickjim
    Reply Vote

  • RE: DOJ approves Google, Motorola Mobility merger

    Great news, now Google can get things moving. In court, and in the mobile market ;)
    Heenan73
    Reply Vote

  • RE: DOJ approves Google, Motorola Mobility merger

    I am looking forward to what we will see from this merger, watch a TV near you!
    robertjbanach
    Reply Vote

    • RE: DOJ approves Google, Motorola Mobility merger

      @robertjbanach An the court room.
      Knowles2
      Reply Vote

  • Google's $13 billion mistake

    MotoMob is a certified money losing division that Moto somehow conned Google into buying for a ridiculous amount. The moment they threaten to sue every Android OEM, Google panicked and made the dumbest mistake a company can make.<br><br>To make matters worst, as many has pointed out ... Google didn't get the any patents of real value with the purchase. On top of that ... they thought they were getting the cable boxes .... and they aren't (different division).<br><br>Google is going to regret making a $13 billion mistake ... a mistake that follows trying to make a joke out of the offer for Sun ... a company that would had saved Google from all the Android pains.
    wackoae
    Reply Vote

    • RE: DOJ approves Google, Motorola Mobility merger

      @wackoae -

      is it not true that Motorola holds a ton of patents in the field?

      I suspect Google is doing this solely to combat Apple, when the time comes - as we've seen, Apple is currently trolling easy pickings, but with smaller victories they can snowball the effect and say "But we have a precedent, waaah!" in order to manipulate and get their way.

      This is the world we live in, unfortunately, but if Google is playing chess then they've made a smart move.
      HypnoToad72
      Reply Vote

      • As pointed out by MANY analyst (good and bad) ....

        @HypnoToad72 Moto only had about 18 patents that may be applicable ... and all of them are part of standards. Meaning, they can't be used to defend from non standard patents ... specially when the other party has a license via FRAND contracts.
        wackoae
        Reply Vote

  • RE: DOJ approves Google, Motorola Mobility merger

    OEM making Nexus is NO.1 Android devices seller.(HTC -> Samsung)

    If Moto would make Nexus, but any increasing on Moto's selling will not happen leads to Google failure
    asleton
    Reply Vote

    • Nexus has NEVER being a #1 selling device

      @asleton For neither HTC or Samsung.<br><br>Get your facts straight. The Nexus brand (from neither maker) has never even being in the top 5 selling Android device list.
      wackoae
      Reply Vote

  • Joey Motorola!

    What are you doing in there? ;)
    zmud
    Reply Vote

  • RE: DOJ approves Google, Motorola Mobility merger

    I guess I'll have to buy another brand of cell phone now. It's bad enough their PC software was phoning home with the users data, now they'll own the device that actually makes the call. "Good Grief Charlie Brown!" They'll have the software AND the hardware to phone home. I trust a rattlesnake 10 times more than Google. Why? A rattlesnake at least warns you with a rattle when you are getting to close. Google just phones home WITH NO WARNING! It's the old adage "let the buyer beware!" This buyer isn't buying it!!!!!!
    To save time and space don't hit me with replies stating prove it and oh no your wrong about Google. EVERYONE is entitled to their opinion! This is mine and I'm sticking to it. Not to mention having read many more than one article stating that Google DOES in fact gather user info/ data and send it home, 20 replies saying they don't ISN'T going to change my mind!!
    Disgruntled_MS_User
    Reply Vote

    • RE: DOJ approves Google, Motorola Mobility merger

      @Disgruntled M$ User
      But google gives you stuff for free unlike M$ who pillages people and businesses.
      The Linux Geek
      Reply Vote

  • RE: DOJ approves Google, Motorola Mobility merger

    Great news
    http://www.onradioz.com/
    http://www.entyahla.com/
    basyoz
    Reply Vote

  • RE: DOJ approves Google, Motorola Mobility merger

    "Following a seal of approval from the European Commission, now the U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly following suit in the matter of Google's proposed.." WTF? Do you guys ever proof read what you write?
    lokii0
    Reply Vote
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