While Google Android smartphone sales may have passed the iPhone worldwide within the second quarter of 2010, it doesn’t take an Oracle to see that there’s trouble ahead for the company whose unofficial motto is “Do no evil.”. The Wall Street Journal reports that Oracle Corp. has sued Google Inc. for patent and copyright infringement, claiming that 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. Oracle acquired Sun, the company that invented the Java programming language, in January 2010. Today, Java is used in the Android smartphone as well as hundreds of other devices.
Seeking for damages in Oracle lawsuit
According to the WSJ, the Oracle lawsuit seeks “unspecific damages and an injunction against ‘continued acts of infringement’ by Google.” Sun generally would authorize use of these licenses, which is why everybody assumed Google was allowed to use free open-source Java licenses, although Google hasn’t officially responded to the public. However, no licensing deal between Oracle and Google had been officially announced. If an injunction against Google is granted by the presiding California court, developers would be barred from creating applications for Android OS and shipments of Android phones would come to a halt.
Protecting 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 safeguarding its IP, and Java is one of the crown jewels of the Sun acquisition.”. PC World thinks the Oracle is scared because if its tax evasion which is why it needs its IP. Whatever the case, the company that was once considered a rival to Microsoft – a position it has clearly lost to Google – is now looking for the court system to generate revenue.
Additional reading at these sites
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
