What does Apple's win over Samsung mean for Motorola Mobility?

What does the Apple-Samsung decision mean for Motorola Mobility?

Much of Apple's court victory had to do with design patents. Of all the me-too products that followed Apple's cellphone success, Samsung most blatantly mimicked the iPhone. Libertyville-based Motorola already is incorporating clipped corners on some phones, such as the new Photon, which presumably would steer clear of Apple's protected designs with rounded corners and bezel.

As for the software features, such as pinch-to-zoom or the bounce-back that stops a swipe of the finger from becoming the scroll to nowhere, phone makers either can come up with their own features or license them from Apple, if Steve Jobs' successor, Tim Cook, is willing to play that game. But longtime tech analyst Roger Kay doesn't see it happening. If Apple is willing to play along, at a minimum it means the cost of the phones goes up — or you learn to live without pinch-to-zoom.

Some critics argue that the Samsung verdict demonstrates the limits of Motorola's patent portfolio. But Apple's victory over Samsung underscores the importance of Google buying Motorola, analyst Colin Sebastian of Milwaukee-based Robert W. Baird & Co. told clients. In a world full of tough competitors and deep pockets, Google needs to have intellectual property to defend itself on many fronts.