Last month a consortium of leading technology companies including, but not limited to, Apple, Microsoft, and RIM bid $4.5 billion for a portfolio of 6,000 patents previously owned by Nortel Networks, a Canadian based telecommunications equipment manufacturer. The consortium, bidding as the Rockstar Bidco, ultimately beat out Google despite their role as the original dark horse bidder. The loss by Google was largely considered a setback to their fast-growing Android mobile operating system whose rivals, known for their active patent litigation, gained significant ownership of the technologies behind much of what is, and will likely become, standard mobile technology. Today Google’s loss appears markedly diminished after the announcement of their $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility, the maker of popular Android-powered smartphones, and owner of some 14,600 patents and 6,000 patents pending. The move considerably bolsters Google’s ability to pre-emptively ward off so-called patent trolls ensuring the uninhibited growth of the Android mobile operating system.

In a post on Google’s Official Blog, Larry Page, the co-founder and current CEO of Google, outlined Google’s plans for Motorola Mobility specifically citing their intention to, “run Motorola as a separate business” and “increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio…[enabling] us to better protect Android from anticompetitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.” The authenticity of the statement was sustained by several nods of approval from an array of hardware manufacturers producing handsets for use with Google’s Android operating system. The companies involved seemed to feel that the purchase would not diminish their competiveness, but would provide an additional defensive layer for the software of which they have all invested so heavily. All smiles aside, it appears that more than a few industry veterans suspect the deal to be laying the groundwork for a more involved Google when it comes to Android hardware production. Andrew Ross Sorkin of the NY Times cites the emerging pattern of Google gently treading around a new industry before making a splash and surprising us all with a new offering. Alas, it appears that we are left waiting to see what Google is going to do—again.

Like it or not, we have reached the last month of summer. The length of our sunny days is waning. August is a summer reading month, especially for students, many of whom postpone their scholarly reading obligations until they absolutely can’t wait any longer. Summer can also provide good quiet reading time for those of us no longer in school. We might crack open a new paperback novel on the beach, or enjoying a magazine during a long summer flight to a business conference. Working with the law, we know that constant reading and learning is mandatory for all of us, regardless of age. Here at Fastcase, our staff of summer interns – now preparing for the fall semester in colleges and law school, and our professional staff, must read constantly in the course of the job.

That reading might consist of reviewing case law in order to perfect online formatting, or it might consist of scouring the web for articles on legal technology breakthroughs. In the course of our reading, we learn our country’s laws, read historical cases whose significance has grown over time, thrill ourselves reviewing Hollywood-script-worthy criminal cases, or simply expand our vocabulary.

Our senior reference attorney, in the course of fine-tuning online formatting, came across the Linbergh baby kidnapper appeal of 1935, State. v. Hauptmann., 180 A. 809 (N.J., 1935). A standout example of frenzied media coverage affecting the judicial process, the Lindbergh kidnapping story reads like a prime-time crime drama. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindbergh_kidnapping.

A much less-famous case from Georgia which mentions a women slipping on the peel of a strange fruit in her grocery store, Mahan v. McRae, 241 Ga. App. 109 (Ga. App., 1999), proved to be entertaining – and a vocab booster – for another staff member. Regarding the identity of the fruit, a footnote to the case notes, “During her deposition, Reddick referred to the fruits she saw as plums, but in a subsequent affidavit, Reddick stated that she has since learned that they are called scuppernongs.”

The punctilious accuracy of this plaintiff resulted in a very rare word gracing the court’s documents, and consequently, the Fastcase database. Indeed, “scuppernong” only shows up in eleven cases in the entirety of our case law collection. But, perhaps more importantly, the diligence of this Georgian permitted our Fastcase employee to improve his vocabulary, and consequently astound his friends and family with a correctly written definition when playing Balderdash later in the summer. By then, thanks to Fastcase, he knew that scuppernongs “are large grapes. See Webster’s New Intl. Dictionary (2nd ed.), p. 2252.”

Beyond these trivial enjoyments that summer reading can provide, reading with Fastcase can provide a truly significant education. Summer projects prepare our interns and workers to re-enter the more active fall season with an increased knowledge of our nation’s law. The law isn’t always as entertaining as the paperback you read on the beach, but it can be fascinating none-the-less, and valuably informative. And whereas the cheap fiction we buy from the grocery store shelf is copyrighted and requires purchase, fascinating stories documented by our nation’s courts are designated to be freely published for all. Of course, these enthralling stories can be prohibitively time-consuming to find, even though they are free. We at Fastcase hope that our online search service makes it a little bit faster and more affordable for you to find those rare memorable cases, as well as all the other routine stories, dutifully recorded by the courts, which help you in your daily work.

Since we launched our app, Fastcase for the iPhone, we’ve kept a close eye on which mobile devices lawyers are using most often. Recently the American Bar Association’s Legal Technology Resource Center released results of its annual technology survey.

Smartphones Used by Lawyers

46% Blackberry

35% iPhone

17% Andriod

Legal Research Apps Used by Lawyers

25% Fastcase

11% Westlaw

9% Lexis

Read more about the ABA Technology Survey at Lawyer Tech Review.

Earlier this summer, you may have heard that Justia launched Verdict, a legal analysis and commentary site. The top-flight columnists cover legal topics like constitutional law, international human rights, new technology, discrimination, family law, and more. Each weekday, Verdict publishes a new column with fantastic analysis of current events and legal topics. We very highly recommend reading. In fact, one Fastcase team member enthusiastically declares, “The time I spend reading Verdict is one of the best parts of my day.”

A quick list of this weeks columns:

Armed and Crazy: Should Mentally Ill People Be Permitted to Own Firearms?

“Respect” or “Defend” Marriage? The Senate Considers a Bill to Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 (DOMA)

Preventing the Next Crisis: What We Must Do to Maintain the Public’s Confidence in the Financial System

We hope you enjoy these articles as much as we do. Happy reading!