U.S. Probes Bidding for Nortel Patents
The Justice Department is scrutinizing likely bidders for a giant trove of patents being sold this month by the bankrupt Canadian telecom-equipment maker Nortel Networks Corp. amid concerns the patents could be used to unfairly hobble competitors in the wireless industry, according to people familiar with the matter.
The department’s antitrust division has been reviewing Google’s Inc.’s $900 million opening bid, although it hasn’t found any major competitive issues that would lead it to challenge its purchase of the patent portfolio, the people said.
The agency has greater concerns about another possible bidder, Apple Inc., which has often asserted intellectual property rights against other companies. Apple has been in talks with the Justice Department to address its concerns, those people said.
