Apple acquires over 200 Freescale Semiconductor patents
Patently O has discovered that Apple purchased over 200 patents from Freescale Semiconductor on April 11 of this year. However, the patent purchase was not disclosed until May 18. Freescale Semiconductor was formerly Motorola's Semiconductor Product Sector until the electronics giant spun off the company in 2003.
Details of the patent purchase are unclear. Patently O says it's likely that Apple made a cash purchase of the patents and that there is a large diversity among the group of patents, although almost all relate to computer hardware and wireless devices. As always with patent purchases, Apple may never actually implement the patented technologies in its devices. Apple may have purchased the patents to use as leverage in future patent lawsuits, or to stave off those lawsuits.
