OS copyright violations from Google on Android from Oracle

The company with the motto “Do no evil” certainly is going to have difficulties when within the second quarter of 2010 the Google Android smartphones sales passed the iPhone in worldwide sales. 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 lawsuit pits Oracle CEO Larry Ellison against Google founder Eric Schmidt, a former Sun chief technology officer. Oracle acquired Sun, the company that invented the Java programming language, in January 2010. Hundreds of devices use Java, such as the Android Smartphone’s.
Oracle sues to get damages fixed
The WSJ says the Oracle lawsuit wants “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. There was no official Oracle/Google deal that was announced. If an injunction against Google is given 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
The Journal interviewed tech analyst Ray Wang who said 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,” although Sun would traditionally be respectful of open-source software and free exchange of ideas. Keeping its IP may be significant to Oracle because, as PC World suggests, it is trying to keep away from the U.S. government because of tax evasion that’s been happening. Now the company is rivaling Google rather than Microsoft, a court system is looked to in order to get some more money flowing in.
More on this topic accessible 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