It seems hardly a day goes by anymore without a story about a new lawsuit that has been filed claiming patent infringement. Although the whole idea behind the patent system is to protect innovations and their inventors, some argue that too many generic patents are granted, and that these are used by companies as playing cards in a high-stakes game where the one with the bigger patent portfolio usually has the winning hand.
With Google and its partners facing lawsuits left and right over Android, it's no surprise that the company agreed to pay $12.5 billion for Motorola Mobility and its intellectual property. The infographic below, created by Business Insurance Quotes, highlights some of the story behind patents and recent developments in the mobile patent war.
