US Clears Google Bid on Nortel Patents

Apparently, the Department of Justice has given Google the go-ahead to pursue its $900 million opening bid for a trove of high-tech patents being sold next week by Canadian telecommunications-equipment maker Nortel Networks.

After an antitrust review, the Justice Department concluded that Google's potential ownership of the patents wouldn't raise any major competitive concerns, these people said. The clearance could give Google a leg-up against rivals in its bid for the patents, part of its effort to acquire an arsenal of patents that could help it ward off lawsuits by competitors.