The European Union's competition watchdog says it has opened two investigations into whether Motorola Mobility, which is being bought by Google, is unfairly restricting competitors from accessing essential patents, The Associated Press reported.

The formal investigations were announced Tuesday, April 3 after Apple and Microsoft recently complained to the European Commission that Motorola Mobility was using injunctions against their key products including the iPhone, iPad or Xbox as a way of gaining an edge in the market for similar products.

Under EU law, companies that hold patents for technologies that are essential for industry standards have to make these available to rivals.

Standards ensure that devices from different producers can interact seamlessly with widely used networks, technologies and each other.