Many California residents know that there is a growing trend of technology companies buying patents to protect against intellectual-property suits. In accordance with this growing trend, the United States Justice Department will probably give antitrust approval to Google's bid for Motorola Mobility. If approved, the acquisition of Motorola will give Google more than 17,000 patents for mobile-phone technology. Nevertheless, this is not the only collaborative technology plan that has recently headlined the news.

Similarly, the department may approve a plan led by Microsoft and Apple to purchase Nortel Network patents. The Nortel acquisition will give the companies control of more than 6,000 patents and applications that cover wireless technologies. However, sources explain that the Justice Department is a little concerned with the increasing possibility of patent holders filing suit in an effort to prevent other companies from using their smartphone technology.

The department will continue to investigate these issues. Reports say that Google's planned deal with Motorola is a $12.5 billion arrangement, and the Apple-Microsoft group's purchase of patents from Nortel is part of a $4.5 billion scheme.

While sources say that the Justice Department will probably approve these acquisitions, there are a lot of legal technicalities involved in such transactions. Businesses must incorporate ample planning and strategy. Companies must develop the criteria of an acquisition, structure a proposal, draft a purchasing agreement and identify sources of funding. For this reason, it is important that companies involved in these types of dealings work closely with knowledgeable attorneys to guarantee a sufficient transition.

Source: Bloomberg, "Google's Motorola Mobility bid said likely to win U.S. approval," Jeff Bliss, Feb. 8, 2012