Google, needing patents, buys Motorola wireless for $12.5 billion

Google announced plans to acquire Motorola Mobility this morning for $12.5 billion in cash. One of Google’s biggest motivations for the purchase is to bolster its patent profile, which has been under relentless attack by companies including Microsoft and Apple. With the purchase, Google will gain control of more than 17,000 mobile-related patents worldwide, with 7,000 more Motorola patent applications in the pipeline.

Google first announced the acquisition on its blog early this morning. On a call for investors, Larry Page, CEO of Google, stated that “Motorola has a strong patent portfolio, which will help protect Android.” Earlier this month, the company accused Apple, Microsoft, and Oracle of bullying Google over patents in what David Drummond, Google’s senior vice president and chief legal officer, called “a hostile, organized campaign against Android.”