Apple, Google said to consider patent arbitration
updated 06:10 pm EST, Fri November 16, 2012
Critical patents under dispute could see arbitration
Talks are underway between Apple and Google's Motorola Mobility to resolve disputes over critical smartphone technology patents, according to a court filing. Reports hold that the two companies have been exchanging proposals on binding arbitration that would bring a licensing agreement for standards-essential patents, one that could lead to a general settlement of all of their patent disputes worldwide. Analysts say that, depending on the size and scope of the agreement, the negotiations could result in greater protection for the many licensees of Google's Android platform.
Recent months have seen rumors that executives at the two companies were conducting talks to resolve their ongoing patent issues. Executives at both companies have previously expressed a desire to resolve the patent conflict so that both may focus more product innovation and less on litigation.
Bloomberg reports that the patent talks were revealed in a court filing from Apple, one in which the iPad maker acknowledged that it was interested in resolving its dispute with Motorola "completely." Motorola Mobility, for its part, first raised the issue of arbitration on November 5, when a federal judge threw out a case in which Apple claimed Motorola was misusing its standards-essential patents to extract unreasonable royalties.
Google representatives maintain that the company wishes to resolve its patent issues with Apple and looks forward to building "constructive dialogue" between the two companies.
