U.S., EU approve Google's $12.5 bln Motorola Mobility bid

2012/02/15

 

BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- American and European regulators Monday approved Internet giant Google's 12.5 billion dollar bid to buy cellphone maker Motorola Mobility, moving Google a major step closer to completing the biggest deal in its 13-year history.

The American Justice Department's Monday green light for the Google-Motorola Mobility deal came just hours after the European Union regulators announced their approval.

The price is more than the combined amount that Google has paid for the 185 other acquisitions that it has completed since going public in 2004.

Monday's blessings mean Google Inc. just needs to clear regulatory hurdles in China, Israel and other areas before it can take control of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. and expand into manufacturing phones, tablet computers and other consumer devices for the first time.

Besides signing off on the Motorola Mobility deal, the Justice Department also approved two other moves in the mobile patent battles. The approvals cover the 4.5 billion dollars purchase of Nortel Networks patents by a group including Apple, Microsoft and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. and a separate Apple acquisition of Novell Inc. patents.

Google acquired 17,000 patents with the purchase of Motorola Mobility and has been strengthening its patent portfolio as the fight for dominance in the booming smartphone and tablet computer market increasingly involves lawsuits claiming infringement of patented technology.

Google announced the deal six months ago. Its stock rose 6.29 dollars, or 1 percent, to close Monday at 612.20. Motorola Mobility's gained 18 cents to 39.63 dollars, just below the proposed sale price of 40 dollars per share.

(Source: Xinhua)