Summary: The FTC rules on Google's business practices once again, this time over the Internet giant's standing against other mobile device manufacturers.
Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility has been questioned more and more with each quarterly earnings report.
Many investors, analysts, and even consumers are still puzzled about what Google wants with the company at this point, perhaps beyond a sizable patent portfolio.
Some of Google's competitors (namely Microsoft) have been quite vocal about the potential damage here, with Redmond calling out Mountain View for potential "anti-competitive" business practices.
The Federal Trade Commission has chimed in again -- and possibly for the last time as the government agency has issued what it described as the "final order" over Google's business practices in relation to other mobile device manufacturers.
The federal department also specified that the edict published on Wednesday is actually a modified version of the previous settlement.
Here's a summary from the FTC:
The Final Order requires Google to abide by its commitments to license its standard-essential patents on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory or FRAND terms. These standard-essential patents are needed to make popular devices such as smart phones, laptop and tablet computers, and gaming consoles. The agency alleged that Google had reneged on these commitments and pursued - or threatened to pursue - injunctions and exclusion orders against companies that need to use standard-essential patents held by Google's subsidiary, Motorola Mobility LLC (MMI), in their devices and were willing to license these patents on FRAND terms.
To read the entire FTC order, scroll through the document below:
FTC Final Order: Google, Motorola Mobility
news by July 25, 2013 at 03:53AM
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