Google Must Tell Apple Its Android Secrets, Says Judge

Google and Motorola were ordered by a judge on Monday to divulge data to Apple about their pending merger and the development of the Android mobile operating system.

According to a Bloomberg report, U.S. Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner in Chicago ruled during an ongoing patent lawsuit filed by Apple that the companies must reveal details surrounding Google’s acquisition of Motorola. Judge Posner also supported Apple’s request to see documentation related to the development of Google’s Android platform.

Apple has been on a patent lawsuit spree over the past few years against mobile phone manufacturers. In 2010, Apple filed the lawsuit against Motorola, alleging that the company copied Apple’s signature touchscreen interface and other mobile technologies. Motorola has since countersued.

The judge approved Apple’s request issued on Friday, March 2. The data in question will show how much Google believes Motorola devices are worth. The devices feature technology that Apple claims infringes on its patents.

“The Android/Motorola acquisition discovery is highly relevant to Apple’s claims and defenses,” said Apple lawyers told the judge during the request for more information on March 2.

The companies will participate in two trials starting in June that will go in front of different juries. The first case will focus on Apple’s six patents, while the second case will focus on Motorola’s three, Bloomberg said.

In August 2011, Google announced it would be acquiring Motorola for $12.5 billion. Although the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission have since approved the deal, approval is still pending from various countries, including China, Israel, and Taiwan.

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