Google’s planned takeover of smartphone maker Motorola Mobility is a step closer after the company gained regulatory approval from the European Union.
Google has stated that it is primarily interested in Motorola’s portfolio of 17,000 patents and, if the takeover is successful, will run Motorola as an independent entity with no special advantages over other Android device makers.
Reuters reports that while the EU’s approval is unconditional, European regulators will closely monitor Google’s use of the Motorola patents in the future to make sure they are not used in an anti-competitive manner.
The proposed takeover still requires the approval of competition regulators in several other countries, including the US and China.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
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