Oracle Sues Google Over Android

By Jane McEntegart
published

Oracle has filed a patent and copyright infringement suit against Google.

Oracle yesterday released a short but sweet press release announcing that it was taking legal action against Google in relation to alleged copyright and patent infringements involving Android and Java.

"In developing Android, Google knowingly, directly and repeatedly infringed Oracle's Java-related intellectual property," said Oracle spokesperson Karen Tillman. "This lawsuit seeks appropriate remedies for their infringement."

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, argues that Google is using Java-derived technologies without proper licensing and as such, claims that Android, and any device running Android, infringes upon one or more of seven patents owned by Oracle. CNet reports that Oracle acquired the patents in question when it bought Sun Microsystems in April of last year.

The suit also points out that Google must have been aware of Sun's patents because the CEO of the search giant, Eric Schmidt, led the team that developed Java at Sun prior to taking on the roll of CEO at Novell.

"Google has been aware of Sun's patent portfolio, including the patents at issue, since the middle of this decade, when Google hired certain former Sun Java engineers," CNet quotes from the suit.

Google says it has not yet been served with the lawsuit, and couldn't comment until it had had time to review it.

Read the full story here.

Press Release

53 Comments Comment from the forums
  • zaixionito
    Saw this. Oracle is a bunch of jerks. They acquire stuff to get patents, then sue Google.
    Reply
  • Spanky Deluxe
    This is rapidly becoming the norm. It seems like companies such as Google, Microsoft and Apple would rather develop something without having to get licenses from patent owners so that they can keep leaks about their work under wraps until it's close to release. If they license a patent from a third party, that party could leak valuable information about works in progress to the competition. They probably do some risk/cost analysis to look into whether it's better off paying a license fee up front or pay it plus some court fees at a later date and they probably also use the old "it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission" adage.
    Reply
  • Dirtman73
    Is Google at fault here? Probably.

    Am I basing this opinion on any kind of available evidence? No. I just can't stand Google anymore. Fcuk them. And fcuk Oracle too, while I'm at it.
    Reply
  • nuvon
    This is a heavy weight match.
    Reply
  • maxsp33d
    The whole patent system is FLAWED. It only slows and sometimes even stops developing new technology. Open source and Creative Commons is the way to go if you want technology moving forward.
    Reply
  • house70
    "released a short but sweet press release"...
    sweet?... really?
    Jane must be hating Google/Android sooo much...

    IMO, Oracle can take their lawsuit and shove it where the Sun don't shine (pun intended).
    Reply
  • the last resort
    maxsp33d, right on. couldn't have said it better.
    Reply
  • JMcEntegart
    house70"released a short but sweet press release"...sweet?... really?Jane must be hating Google/Android sooo much...IMO, Oracle can take their lawsuit and shove it where the Sun don't shine (pun intended).
    Nope, I love my Nexus One and Froyo to boot. :)

    I meant 'short and sweet' as in 'to the point.'
    Reply
  • jimmysmitty
    Dirtman73Is Google at fault here? Probably.Am I basing this opinion on any kind of available evidence? No. I just can't stand Google anymore. Fcuk them. And fcuk Oracle too, while I'm at it.
    I too can't stand Google beyond their mail and search engine but is it just me or does Oracle seem like a bunch of hypocryts?

    They release OpenOffice, a open source free program that utilizes backdoor ways to open, edit and run MS Office files yet they set waiting to sue for patent infringement.......

    Yea....
    Reply
  • cookoy
    Another lawsuit. Wherever the buck stops, we consumers have to pay more bucks!
    Reply