Google buys 1023 patents from IBM in a bid to bolster "its strategy of defending against smartphone lawsuits", according to Bloomberg. 

Confirming the patent sale are records from the US patent and Trademark Office website. 

This is hardly the first time Google buys patents-- last July Google bought 1030 other patents from IBM, while recent acquisition Motorola provides more than 17000 patents. 

Android is open source and depends on a number of features not created by Google itself-- resulting in a system vulnerable to lawsuits. 

HTC, Samsung and Motorola are all going through lawsuits by Apple while Microsoft and Motorola exchange patent-infringement allegations, as vendors appear to prefer settling their differences in patents courts-- rather than the market. 

Go Google Buys 1023 IBM Patents (Bloomberg)

Go US Patent and Trademark Office Records