Sony Ericsson Logo announced on Thursday that Sony will buy out the remainder of for $1.475 billion. Making Sony Ericsson a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony will allow for better product integration across Sony's slate of offerings, and will also bolster its patent holdings with ownership of “five essential patent families,” says Ericsson.

Sony Ericsson was formed in 2001 when Sony partially acquired Ericsson. The purpose was to combine both companies' “unprofitable” handset businesses so that they could make feature phones that were more attractive to consumers. The companies cite the phone and phone as “well known examples” of their partnership.

via Ars Technica