Motorola started in Chicago, Illinois as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation (at 847 West Harrison Street)[6] in 1928, with its first product being a battery eliminator. Paul Galvin purchased the patents to the automotive radio and acquired the rights to the trade name Motorola from William Lear. The name Motorola was adopted in 1930, and the word has been used as a trademark since the 1930s.       Read Motorola History