Google Lawyer Slams Apple, Microsoft over Patents

“Fortunately, the law frowns on the accumulation of dubious patents for anti-competitive means — which means these deals are likely to draw regulatory scrutiny, and this patent bubble will pop,” he continued.

Drummond said Google was encouraged that the US Justice Department is looking into whether Microsoft and Apple acquired the Nortel patents for “anti-competitive means.”

“We’re also looking at other ways to reduce the anti-competitive threats against Android by strengthening our own patent portfolio,” he said. “We’re determined to preserve Android as a competitive choice for consumers, by stopping those who are trying to strangle it.”

Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith responded to the Google accusations with a message on his Twitter feed.

“Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no,” Smith said.  Apple or Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.