My take from the article is that the patents fetched so much money because they would be a good defense against being sued. In Google's case, 'the search giant'

My take from the article is that the patents fetched so much money because they would be a good defense against being sued. In Google's case, 'the search giant's interest was primarily defensive, “to create a disincentive for others to sue Google."' So the patents don't represent innovation to the bidders, the patents represent a legal defense fund.