A federal judge dismissed an Apple patent abuse lawsuit against Google's Motorola Mobility unity on Monday, just hours before the two sides were set to go to trial. The decision by District Judge Barbara Crabb hands Google a victory in the ongoing patent wars. Apple filed the case a year ago in response to Motorola's request for a 2.25 licensing fee on devices that make use of a Motorola wireless patent. Apple was reportedly unwilling to pay more than $1 per phone, prompting Crabb to question whether she had the legal authority to hear Apple's claims. Apple contends the judge does have the authority and is likely to appeal her decision. Google said it was pleased.

Many of the largest tech firms have fought to acquire the patent portfolios of dying tech giants, which they in turn have wielded as offensive weapons against each other. Apple has contended, for example, that Google's Android mobile operating system is basically a copy of its iOS mobile platform. Similarly, other handset makers have contended the iPhone makes use of patented technology, sparking a wave of litigation that has engulfed much of the industry. Patent law is incredibly complex and last year saw the first major overhaul of the patent system in decades. But it is rapidly becoming clear that the current situation is untenable. Established companies are able to use the patents and courts to tie up smaller competitors, staving them of resources and ham-stringing potential competitors. Those same companies are also spending billions to acquire the portfolios of companies like Kodak, in hopes of protecting their own positions.

Convincing Congress to tackle patent trolling in the near future will be difficult, especially considering the effort it took to pass a bipartisan bill to reform the operations of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. But absent some sort of change, such lawsuits will continue to proliferate with no end in sight.