You really have to do "defensive patenting" when you are this large or you might face problems when another person patents a key technology your business relies on.
I don't think google would ever pursue this patent against another company, because it is doubtful it will stand up in court. As such it probably would win a court trial if another company patented the tech, but it is much cheaper to just patent it yourself, stick the patent in a drawer, and continue taking over the world.
You really have to do "defensive patenting" when you are this large or you might face problems when another person patents a key technology your business relies on.
I don't think google would ever pursue this patent against another company, because it is doubtful it will stand up in court. As such it probably would win a court trial if another company patented the tech, but it is much cheaper to just patent it yourself, stick the patent in a drawer, and continue taking over the world.