Google Says Patents, Tech Were Less Than Half Motorola’s Price

Google put a finer point on the value it placed on Motorola Mobility’s intellectual property when it agreed to buy the mobile-phone maker, saying in a regulatory filing that $5.5 billion of the $12.4 billion price tag was attributable to “patents and developed technology.”

Google has sought to bulk up on patents as a protective measure, as a number of its technology rivals have targeted both the company and its Android software with litigation. Apart from patents and developed technology, Google said in the filing that $2.9 billion of the purchase price for Motorola was attributable to cash acquired, $2.6 billion was related to goodwill, $730 million for customer relationships and $670 million for “other net assets acquired.” The goodwill, Google explained, is “primarily attributed to the synergies expected to arise after the acquisition.”