The search engine giant keeps searching – and finding – more patents in its bid to protect further development of the Android operating systems.

Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) has bought 1,023 patents from IBM (NYSE: IBM) as part of its strategy of defending against smartphone lawsuits, according to Bloomberg, the blog SEO by the Sea and other reports.

Google was outbid by an Apple-led consortium in a competition for thousands of patents held by bankrupt Nortel. Since then, the company has struck multiple deals for other intellectual property.

The complete list of patents transferred to Google can be found here.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

It’s the second patent deal between IBM and Google this summer. In July, IBM sold Google 1,030 patents.

Transfers recorded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s website show Google acquired the patents Aug. 17. Jim Prosser, a spokesman for the Mountain View, California- based company, confirmed the transaction to Bloomberg without providing details or financial terms.

Chris Andrews, a spokesman for Armonk, New York-based IBM, declined to comment.

Google is building an arsenal of patents that the company has said is largely designed to counter a “hostile, organized campaign” by companies including Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. against the Android operating system for mobile devices.

Google will obtain more than 17,000 with its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.

Android is a free, open-source program that relies on some nonproprietary features Google didn’t create and allows outside developers to modify the code. That has left the company and handset makers that use the system vulnerable to lawsuits claiming Android was built on the backs of research done by other technology companies.

Android handset makers HTC, Samsung Electronics Co. and Motorola Mobility have each been targeted in lawsuits by Apple, and Microsoft and Motorola Mobility have exchanged patent-infringement allegations.

To help in the fight, Google last month transferred to HTC nine patents it bought in the past year from companies including the former Motorola Inc. and Openwave Systems Inc. Taoyuan, Taiwan-based HTC used those patents last week in a new lawsuit that escalates its patent battle with Apple.

(Bloomberg contributed to this report)

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