The European Commission today published the preliminary results of an antitrust investigation against Google’s Motorola Mobility unit and found the company went too far.
Motorola sought to block Apple from selling certain products in Germany by claiming Apple infringed on its standard essential patents. Apple argued that Motorola was seeking unfair terms for its patents, and eventually European courts agreed with Apple. Motorola’s actions, however, sparked an investigation into its patent licensing practices and that is what led the European Commission to today’s findings.
“I think that companies should spend their time innovating and competing on the merits of the products they offer – not misusing their intellectual property rights to hold up competitors to the detriment of innovation and consumer choice,” said European Union competition commissioner Joaquín Almunia. The findings could lead to formal antitrust charges against
