The search-engine giant agreed to buy Motorola Mobility, a maker of mobile phones with 17,000 issued patents and 6,800 pending, for $12.5 billion. Compeition authorities in American and European Union told Google on February 13th" we are watching you".Neither American 's Department of Justice nor the European Commission has found a reason to halt the deal, but both tempered their approval with words of caution.

Patents are powerful weapons and war is already being waged. This month Motorola Mobility won a court ruling in Germany to stop Apple selling several iPhones and iPads in its online sotre there. All originated from the powerful patents.