It’s been a long process, with Sony buying the remaining shares of their partnership with Ericsson in mid-October of 2011. The process, which ended up costing Sony 1.4 billion euros ($1.9 billion), awarded Sony more than 4,000 patents that Sony Ericsson controlled while also bringing in all mobile operations in house at Sony. The move was designed to help the company better integrate their mobile line of phones and potentially tablets with Sony assets such as Sony Pictures and services like Music and Video Unlimited. Sony also hopes that, with internal phone designs, they will be better able to leverage their many departments strengths, like screen technology from the Bravia division.

With 2011 far in the rear view mirror, so, it seems, is the Sony Ericsson brand name, as Sony announced Sony Mobile Communications to be the new mobile brand and department. Future phones which were announced at CES, like the Xperia S and Xperia ion, will now ship directly under the Sony name. After the jump, the press release.

 Sony Completes Full Acquisition of Sony Ericsson

Sony to Rename the Company Sony Mobile Communications and Accelerate Business Integration
February 16, 2012, Tokyo, Japan – Sony Corporation (“Sony”) today announced that the transaction to acquire Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson’s (“Ericsson”) 50% stake in Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (“Sony Ericsson”) has been completed as of February 15, 2012 (Central European time). This marks the completion of the transaction jointly announced by Sony and Ericsson on October 27, 2011, and makes Sony Ericsson a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony.

Sony will rename Sony Ericsson “Sony Mobile Communications”, and further integrate the mobile phone business as a vital element of its electronics business, with the aim of accelerating convergence between Sony’s lineup of network enabled consumer electronics products, including smart phones, tablets, TVs and PCs. 

Discuss:

Will you miss the Sony Ericsson brand name?

[Via Sony]