European regulator launches anti-trust investigation on Motorola Mobility
04 Apr 2012
The European regulator yesterday launched an investigation to find out whether Motorola Mobility, now a subsidiary of Internet giant Google, has violated relevant European Union (EU) anti-trust laws by hindering competitors from gaining access to certain patents.
Technology giant Apple and software king Microsoft, both competitors of Motorola Mobility, had complained to the European Commission (EC) that Motorola Mobility had been using injunctions against their key products like iPhone and Xbox.
The EC will investigate whether Motorola has offered unfair licensing conditions for its standard-essential patents in breach of EU laws.
These patents are essential for creating standards-based devices, such as smartphones that can connect to 3G wireless systems or devices that can play specific type of videos.
Standard patents are expected to be licensed by the patent holder under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, commonly referred to as Frand
Joaquin Almunia, Commissioner for the EC, had last week said that he was considering whether to launch the investigation.
