Google have accused BT of four counts of patent infringement.

This marks a strange departure for the search engine giant, which has made public its distaste for the rise in such legal cases in the technology industry. A spokesman for the company maintains that “litigation [is] a last resort”.

BT had launched a similar attack against Google in December 2011, citing six infringements relating to internet connections.

Comments made by the Google spokesman suggest that this latest batch of legal action is based in part on BT’s prior “meritless patent claims” and deployment of “patent trolls”.

“When faced with these kinds of attacks, we will defend ourselves”, said the Google spokesman.

For more information on the growth of IP law, check out our recent Employer Q&A with HGF.