Google Responds to Oracle Patent Infringement Claims

by Kevin Krause on August 13th, 2010 at 1:59 pm

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Google isn’t pleased with the latest suit filed against them and their open source Android OS. Oracle is claiming that seven of their patents are infringed upon in Android and its accompanying Dalvik virtual machine. The suit has dollar signs written all over, as Oracle recently acquired Sun Microsystems with intentions to reap the benefits of its Java patents from the beginning, according to one ex-employee. Google sees it as a personal attack on the open-source Java community, with a statement reading:

"We are disappointed Oracle has chosen to attack both Google and the open-source Java community with this baseless lawsuit. The open-source Java community goes beyond any one corporation and works every day to make the web a better place. We will strongly defend open-source standards and will continue to work with the industry to develop the Android platform."

Sun and their internal Java work had chance to make a coalition with Android when Google first began developing the OS, but wanting their hand too deep in the cookie jar, Sun and Google butted heads on how to employ and license the Java Micro Edition ecosystem. Google then parted ways to develop their own virtual machine, one that Oracle claims makes illegal use of their intellectual property. Google will see strong support from the open-source community as the suit moves forward.

[via TechCrunch]

  • mudrock1000

    Sad day for developers everywhere :/

  • http://flavors.me/davidmnoriega David

    I really don’t like Oracle. Sun’s website is now a mess to navigate.

  • Juhani

    I never liked Oracle. Now even less. I will loudly be against buying any of their systems in the company I work in and in all customers I consult from now on. There are a lot of like minded people in positions where they can decide or advice about database technologies in big companies. I hope everyone does the same.

  • dave

    So sad that Oracle has sunk to this level.

  • Larry’s Peon

    I love Android. I love programming in Java.

    I work for Oracle. F–K YOU LARRY!

  • wolverineguy55

    Is Oracle the new SCO?

  • carter

    Really Oracle? Give it up.

  • elijahblake

    i really hope Google smashes Oracle like an ant, but do you guys remember Eric Schmidt’s comment about Java being lazy a couple months ago?

    Maybe this is Oracle taking a shot back.

  • me

    Oracle is terrible — terrible software, terrible company.

  • Phil

    Crazy thing is that Android actually helped me decide to come back into the Java world. I was skeptical with Oracle buying Sun and now they have proven themselves hostile. I hope Google starts pushing Dalvik as a general purpose VM and everybody can rally around it to get away from Oracle while still using the Java syntax and current code bases. Apache Harmony has never been so important.

  • GAM3RIG

    Let me spell it out for you fandroids,

    ORACLE = One Rich Asshole Called Larry Ellison

  • z

    If google search filted out everything related to oracle way will happen.

  • The Don

    @GAM3RIG

    I’m confused. Are you agreeing with us or disagreeing with us? It seems like you’re mocking us at first, but then it seems like you’re bashing Oracle. Please try to be more coherent in future irrelevant posts.

  • Joel

    I don’t think they have a valid reason for a lawsuit now…If Google willingly and openingly offered to use their code and asked them to join. They declined, and now that its making bank they want some of that. I think thats part of the copyright system where if you know there is a issue you have to report it right away, or else its null. IDK i took a class in this like 3 years ago =P

  • http://code.google.com/p/floatingimage/ Mark Gjøl

    I really enjoy the fact that Google focuses more on how ORACLE is declaring war on all Java users, rather than whether the claim is actually legitimate, which they dismiss in a side note. But of course, this is the important part. ORACLE are now the warden of Java, and they should behave!

  • annon for this one

    Where you can BOYCOTT ORACLE !

  • ari-free

    Here’s my ‘picture’ of Larry: he’s on his yacht wearing a Hawaiian shirt with cigar in his mouth, one arm around a bikini babe (her name is Kiki) and the other hand holding a tequila. A total arrogant SOB

  • simon

    Larry Ellison is evil. He likes to buy up companies, takes their technologies, and lays off the people.

    I think Google should buy Oracle and then fire Larry Ellison.

  • hill180

    I’m am disappointed but not surprised. When Oracle bought Sun many believed, including myself, the worst is yet to come. Solaris fell then now Java. I am just glad java was opensourced. Hope google forks Java and make Oracles version the obsolete one.

  • http://www.klbrun.com/ Chris Vail

    “You don’t pull on superman’s cape…”

  • justin

    hello oracle…its open source..you cant sue…

  • Ma0

    Karma for the b.s net neutrality statement google released?

  • jMAT

    Once upon a time I used to like ORACLE… but not anymore. Last day… i updated the JAVA JRE on my computer and guess what? It asked me if I wanted to bundle the install with bing search toolbar for internet explorer. Of course I pressed the button that said… “HELL NO”

    Something tells me Oracle had a collabo with Microsoft and Microsoft is using Oracle to backlash GOOGLE with the patent suit thingy… pretty sure… :)

  • opensourcelife

    I think it’s 50/50 for Oracle. On one hand, I don’t think they’re very friendly with the open source community. On the other, there is some serious value in Java’s patents. Regardless, it’s totally against the nature of open source software to sue people for forking it. The whole idea behind open source is that you are welcome to modify or fork the code if it’s not suiting your needs. The community needs to actively voice their opinion about Oracle starving and twisting these massive open source projects. These projects have countless lines of code written by the public, with the understanding that it would be used for the good of every other member of the public. I don’t think any of them could have guessed they were spending so many hours of their spare time helping to build something that would be used as the premise for a patent suit against an open source project.

  • smooveee

    Congrads to Oralce…for finally putting a huge dent in google’s powerful emperor “CAUGHT AGAIN” operating unlawfullY..Our inventors,creators,discovers which also includes patent,trademark and servicemark holders should be protected by law.. its time that we all should stand up against companies profiting of other people inventions..GOOGLE shame on you …pay the fuckin license Fee..i guess when a company has access to every person in the world backyard anytime they want “FOR FREE”..billions of dollars worth of information…its time google start paying…they have gotten too accustomed at profitng illegally..



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