China-based Lenovo, which bought the Motorola phone business from Google in 2014, is phasing out the Motorola brand for its phones. The brand will be replaced with “Moto by Lenovo”.
Technology portal CNET reported that the Motorola name isn’t completely gone, it will remain as a division of Lenovo.
The Chinese consumer-electronics giant said that it will use the Moto brand for high-end products and its homegrown Vibe brand for budget devices.
Motorola branding might be going away but the iconic Moto logo or the M symbol will be used on the Moto devices.
Google bought Motorola’s phone business (Motorola Mobility) in 2012 for $12.5 billion and sold it to Lenovo, two years later, for close to $2.9 billion. After the purchase, Google maintained ownership of the vast majority of the Motorola Mobility patent portfolio, including current patent applications and invention disclosures, while Lenovo received a license to the portfolio of patents and other intellectual property. Additionally Lenovo received over 2,000 patent assets, as well as the Motorola Mobility brand and trademark portfolio.
CNET said that “the decision is likely a play to use the Moto lineup, which is popular with Android enthusiasts, to get people more acquainted with the Lenovo brand. While Lenovo is the world’s largest PC maker, it isn’t front of mind for phones and other mobile products”.
[Source]– CNET
