AppleInsider | #Apple predicted to 'strike back' at #Google with its own #patent purchase

Following Google's bid to purchase Motorola Mobility, Apple is predicted to strike a deal -- perhaps with competitors Nokia or RIM -- to consolidate its already significant patent portfolio and better position itself both offensively and defensively.

In a note to investors on Tuesday, Jeffries & Co. analyst Peter Misek concluded that Apple is likely to 'strike back' by acquiring patents from rivals such as Nokia or Research in Motion as a response to Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility. He also mentioned InterDigital, which has been widely viewed as a potential target for acquisition by Apple and other major players in the smartphone industry.

Misek identified what he considers 500 'essential 3G and 4G patents' that are part of Motorola’s significant patent portfolio. Based on the price Google paid for Motorola, he values each of these at $20 million, given the fact that they could be used by Google not only to defend Android against potential attacks from Apple, but also to counterattack the Cupertino-based company and other rivals in the future.