Google Buys More Than 1,000 IBM Patents

Google, which last month failed to grab a huge portfolio of Nortel patents, has bought more than 1,000 patents from IBM. The new purchase boosts Google’s intellectual property portfolio which currently has just 700 patents.

The loss of Nortel patents was a big blow to Google as the search engine was willing to pay any price to beef up its bank of patents - which is the smallest among major wireless players. Since Nortel-patented technology is also used in Google Android smart phones, the Apple-led consortium have not only got the rights to license this technology to secure royalties but also gain market influence vis-a-vis Google in the multi-trillion-dollar technology field.

As Google is involved in more than 45 patent lawsuits - the biggest against any major player - it is consolidating its patent bank to avoid future litigations. Google has refused to confirm the price it has paid for IBM patents.

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“Like many tech companies, at times we’ll acquire patents that are relevant to our business needs. Bad software patent litigation is a wasteful war that no one will win,” a Google spokesperson was quoted as saying by the LA Times.

Google’ popular Android smart phone operating system is the target of legal challenges. Oracle is seeking billions in damages from Google claiming that Android infringes its Java patents. Facing so many patent-related lawsuits, Google has urged the US Federal Trade Commission to curb this practice.

“Like many tech companies, at times we’ll acquire patents that are relevant to our business needs. Bad software patent litigation is a wasteful war that no one will win,” the Google spokesperson was quoted as saying.