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Oracle is still trying to make a case against Google for copyright infringement. As they prepare for their next hearing, they have come up with some figures showing what they believe Google makes on average from daily Android activations. According to them, Google’s seeing at least $10 million each day. The number is likely derived from the $14 per Android user Google makes from mobile advertisement coupled with the daily Android activation figures which have reached 700,000 in recent months. Oracle themselves didn’t say what they used to come up with the figure. They seek a tremendous amount of damages from Google. At one point they argued that they deserved around two billion dollars from Google but a judge suggested that they were grossly overestimating the amount owed and advised them to start in the hundreds of millions range. It’ll be interesting to see if they can back these claims up with adequate accuracy. [FOSS via BGR]
Isn’t the only reason Oracle is suing because they bought Sun Microsystems which had no problem with Google using their code? Isn’t there also an article where Sun’s CEO approved of what Google was doing? With this knowledge, shouldn’t Google’s use be grandfathered in the law system?
The patent system is messed up. Things that should not be patentable ARE, and even get won in lawsuits (as Apple demonstrates).
But, yeah-I read what you’ve mentioned somewhere as well.
This issue has nothing to do with patents. This is a copyright issue since google is using actual source code that oracle owns.
But Oracle didn’t own it until after Google had been using it for 2-3 years.
So because Google just bought Motorola, should they be able to use any of Motorola’s patents?
They should be able to use the patents, however, Google and Sun had a sort of “gentleman’s agreement” on the use. I’m all for using the patents to defend yourself from litigation, but, don’t buy the patent with intent to sue and make money off those using it. Especially when those using it are told it’s OK and the product they’re using is open-source to begin with.
Can you identify which files and lines of source code Google is using from Oracle?
Didn’t think so.
That’s because Google isn’t using any Oracle source code.
Google is using Java from the Apache Harmony project which is an independently developed Java implementation. Apache Harmony is licensed under the open source Apache license.
Furthermore, Oracle’s own Java implementation is licensed under the open source GPL license.
So how exactly is Oracle damaged again?
Google use someone else’s free Java instead of Oracle’s free Java?
So how exactly do you calculate the damages again?
This has nothing to do with any actual damages. Google is making something successful and profitable, and Oracle thinks it should be entitled to some of that. Patents and these specific patents on virtual machine techniques, and bogus copyright claims are just the vehicle to try to extort that money.
I know this is an Android related site, but I don’t see how we can fault Apple for trying protect their intellectual property.
The original Galaxy was almost identical to the iPhone 3G, and the part that most judges sided with Apple on was the blatant rip-off of Apple’s photo-viewing software.
I love Android, but Apple is/should be credited with a number of key mobile innovations.
I don’t have a problem with Apple being credited with a number of key smartphone innovations.
I very much have a problem with them having patents on things like rectangles with rounded corners.
Why shouldn’t Ford be able to sue, say, Chevy for having a steering wheel, windshield wiper and brake controls in the same place as Ford cars?
And speaking of intellectual property violations, I saw a manufacturer of gloves that had stolen the look and feel of another company’s gloves — the copycat gloves had FIVE FINGERS !!! Outrageous and brazen copying.
My point is that what Apple is suing over is both obvious and actually not unlike prior actual tablets or tablet concepts of others. So why shouldn’t Apple have to pay?
If Apple were suing over technology that would be one thing. But round rectangles? Swipe to unlock?
If any engineer back in, say, 2000 were given the problem of a touch screen only device with no buttons but the wakeup button, and the problem is to solve how to unlock the device but prevent accidental in pocket or in purse phone calls, I’d bet that any engineer would have come up with Swipe to Unlock in about 5 minutes.
Oracle is trying to look sexy for Apple, I think. :)
There is absolutely 0% chance that Oracle will be bought by Apple.
No.
Chance.
didn’t mean it that way :)
just trying to look sexy for them!
Oracle has no chance in court they are washing their time and money. The money google makes is not directly connected to the android device, but to their ad income. Android is Linux based and open source, oracle didn’t own the pa pents until years after Google was using it in android oracle only bought the parents to be a patent troll, and nowadays patent trolls are not the judges favorites.
Again, this is not about patents AT ALL, google implemented its own java VM using SUN code, this is unlegal and a COPYRIGHT issue. So you are trolling not Oracle.
Nope that claim was throughly debunked a while back. There was one file used strictly for testing (ie not actually shipping code) that was identical between Dalvik and Java.
This is coming from a company that already likes to stretch numbers – like the $6 billion they wanted from Google, for which the judge told them they better come up with a much lower number if they want the lawsuit to proceed.
now 10 million bucks is probably not way off, the question remains, how much had it been, had google not been using some of the source for java.(hint: not much different, they would likely have developed their own alternatives and just been a bit behind where they are now)
Oh yea that one file would’ve caused major setbacks.
You’d think they would have gotten the message when 17 of the original 21 suits were thrown out. Be interesting to know how much of this corporate greed is from the top level administration or is being driven by greedy shareholders.
Also Larry Ellison was a close friend of Steve Jobs
Back in pre-school, when Larry was a human being? Do not fall into the trap of anthropomorphizing Larry Ellison!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zRN7XLCRhc
Pretty interesting (for compsci and OS folks) tale of the the dark acquisition of Sun by Oracle told by a Sun engineer. But also a tale of hope.