Motorola Value Found in 18 Patents Used Against Apple

Among Motorola Mobility Holdings’s more than 17,000 patents, a group of 18 may prove most useful in Google’s effort to fend off litigation targeting the Android mobile platform.

The inventions date back to 1994 and form the heart of three Motorola lawsuits against Apple, making them among the stars of the portfolio, said David Mixon, a patent lawyer at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings. They cover technology essential to the mobile-device industry, including location services, antenna designs, e-mail transmission, touch- screen motions, software-application management and third- generation wireless. “Any patent owner, before they consider litigation is going to carefully evaluate their patents to withstand an attack,” Mixon said. “You don't want to hold any back. You want to pick your strongest patents.” Google is counting on its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility to strengthen its patent lineup as Apple and Microsoft challenge Android, the best-selling smartphone operating system in the second quarter. Google had been issued fewer than 1,000 patents as of the start of this year. Motorola Mobility would add another 17,000, as well as about 7,500 pending applications. (Aug 22)