Google has purchased a number of communications-based patents from Foxconn for an undisclosed sum.
Foxconn, based in China, manufactures devices for companies such as Apple. In addition to manufacturing, the company has its own research division and patented technologies. According to the Wall Street Journal, Foxconn is one of the top patent holders in the world. Neither Google nor Foxconn provided specifics about the patents being transferred. The additional intellectual property will help shore up Google’s existing patent portfolio against lawsuits.
Google purchased Motorola Mobility in 2012 in large part to gain access to its more than 17,000 patents. Smartphone companies have been waging patent-based war against one another for years. Robust patent portfolios are seen as a potential defense against such attacks.
