Worldwide sales show in the second quarter of 2010, the Google Android Smartphone passing the iPhone, which shows the company with the motto “Do no evil” is soon going to have some issues. The Wall Street Journal reports that Oracle Corp. has sued Google Inc. for patent and copyright infringement, claiming the Android OS violates Oracle’s Java copyrights. The suit makes it seem like Google’s founder, former Sun chief technology officer, Eric Schmidt, and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison are enemies. In January 2010, the company that started Java, Sun, was bought by Oracle. Hundreds of devices use Java, such as the Android Smartphone’s.
Lawsuit from Oracle wants damages paid for
WSJ explains that the Oracle lawsuit would like “unspecific damages and an injunction against ‘continued acts of infringement’ by Google.” The public has yet to hear from Google who everyone thought was allowed to use the free open-source Java licenses, since Sun would give these out to many. A deal between Google and Oracle never was announced to the public. Android phone shipments would stop along with developers being barred from creating applications for Android OS if an injunction against Google is granted by the California court.
Safeguarding property
Sun has always had free exchange of ideas policies as well as open-source software, although, according to Ray Wang who spoke to the Journal, the Oracle “takes a lot more care in terms of protecting its IP, and Java is one of the crown jewels of the Sun acquisition.”. Perhaps it is as PC World suggests, that Oracle clings to IP as the U.S. government is on its tail over tax evasion. It appears like the company is relying on the court system to pay for it now that Google is its main rivalry instead of Microsoft.
Further reading on this topic
PC World
pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/203336/oracles_fall_from_tech_giant_to_patent_troll.html?tk=hp_new
Wall Street Journal
online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB10001424052748704407804575426122820659864.html
“Trade the Trend” report on the Oracle-Google lawsuit
youtube.com/watch?v=ooYOG00oXpY
