Oracle sues Google over Java patent infringement in Android
By Nilay Patel 
posted August 12th 2010 9:38PM
posted August 12th 2010 9:38PM
[Image courtesy of Chris Onstad and Achewood]
posted August 12th 2010 9:38PM
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Go Go Google!!!
@JonnyB
Oracle: you're giving your OS away for free? There's java in it? Give its $$$!
@genesis o srsly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUH3JQjcweM
@angelusp
GTFO troll
@JonnyB
That'll teach Google to mess with Apple!
@JonnyB
That comic was terrible. It had no relation to the article, and it wasn't the least bit funny.
Man, I shoulda been a patent lawyer.
@JonnyB
Indeed. Oracle is a company that makes a ton of money for managing and troubleshooting purposely complicated and closed-source products. It would be great to see Google's response to this lawsuit.
@angelusp *gasps* CAN IT BE? 'ok1 google shitty programming" REMEMBER HIM? I think we have a culprit. *Puts on Dave Caruso shades*
@JonnyB
What are Oracle thinking? Android is about the only thing keeping Java relevant today.
@bigcow05 Let me enlighten you. Google is NOT OPEN! The search engine (their bread and butter) is not open source. Android is open source, but not the store or any of the Google apps. The open and free part of Android are just to entice companies, but without the Google apps its just an empty shell.
Stop with the open vs proprietary bullshit. You don't know what you are talking about. You are just regurgitating what you hear, but don't understand.
@JonnyB My thoughts is Google's Android OS is not only violating other companies patents, but also user's privacy. If you look at Android specification, Google can install or uninstall apps remotely on any Android device secretly on the background. For this they use SSL connection over a Google Talk similar protocol. This violates the privacy of a user. Imagine Google installs Latitude on your Android phone or tablet, and by knowing your geographic location they can send your information to other companies, governments or secret agencies. What is worst, if someday Google Talk severs are compromised by a terrorist organization, they could have full control of your system and know where you live. I'll hope for the good of humanity, Google removes this feature from Android, and it stops violationg other companies patents like Oracle's Java.
@KarlW Exactly. And every where else Java lives off open source. All the Java servers are open source and even the commercial ones are just packaged versions of the open source ones. And on top of that Java itself is open source. This type of thing could tick off developers and Oracle could quickly find themselves with a useless platform. And I would not be surprised to see IBM and or Red Hat step into this among others.
@iPhone 4
Well Said!
@KarlW Couldn't have said it better myself. I mean there's RIM too with the BlackBerry OS...but that's so god awful I don't think it's worth mentioning.
@iPhone 4 Google has no choice but to make Android open source because it is based on LINUX which is open source. They are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, irrespective of what some brainwashed people think.
@KarlW Wrong!.... as any Java programmer (including this one) will tell you.
You haven't heard of enterprise web apps to name just one sector where java still leads?
@JojoMojo
Uhm - yes they could, if done properly and adhering to all license restrictions. For instance, OS X is based on BSD and yet still a commercial product.
@iPhone 4 It's stunning how many people really don't know this.
@Sean Connery I think its because the situation at hand is above their heads and they didn't know what to do for an image. Yea that and the fact they they can't stand that the Q2 sales numbers basically cover the highest volume days of sales for the iPhone 4 and Android still came out on top.
@iPhone 4 I think iFools should probably sit this one out...its just too much for you all. Google may not be completely open but they are also not distributing complicated software for money. You named the search engine being closed...well the search engine is not being distributed is it... The point he was making was that the make complicated crap thats closed so you have to come through them to figure it out.
And there are plenty of open source companies that aren't so open by your definition. Canonical has a closed management system for instance. No one calls them closed.
@iPhone 4
WTF? Where did I declare that Google was superior because all of its products are open source? I was simply pointing out that Oracle doesn't just sell servers and server software, but they make a killing from the support and troubleshooting of their overly complicated software, which happens to be closed source so bugs can't be openly discussed and corrected by the community like MySQL. And this doesn't seem ethical to me.
When did people like you show up? How do you fathom such a stupid comment. Android is it's own thing, with incredibly few similarities to ios. I could comment further on the smallness of your fanboy brain, but you're not worth the effort.
STFU you idiot troll.
@iPhone 4
Oh and thanks for "enlightening" me. Next time try to understand the post before calling others stupid, yeah?
@JonnyB
I read the lawsuit .. looks like a bunch of hooey to me (though i am not a sleezy lawyer). I wouldn't be too worried if I was Google, cause it doesn't seem like there aren't workarounds. I think at most, making Android non-infringing may cause a performance hit at times (but not much).
At least Oracle isn't going the Apple route of suing phone manufacturers like HTC rather than Google. I commend them for not doing that dirty trick.
Also it's interesting it appears they hired David Boies, who at one time was hired by SCO (remember that evil company?) But then it also looks like they've hired Michael Jacobs too, who was on the other side of that.
@iPhone 4 actually the search engine isnt distributed even though it is based on Linux so they are not breaking any agreements. BUT!! at the same time Google are submitting rather large amounts of code back into the main stream Linux kernel that is used on their google servers. In fact google host piles of open source code and do a fair bit for FOSS work for free. Yes Google have some propriety apps that mainly are used to interface with google services but at the same time google also allows third parties to write apps to work with the same services. If you dont want to pay or use google apps you are welcome to write you own.
@Blaque14K
if anything, Q2 numbers showed how far ahead of Apple is compared to Google in terms of overall performance. Also at 68% year over year growth in terms of phones shipped, Apple was at least 2x better than any Android vendor.
Google's earnings simply showed how little Android impacts their bottom line. Every Q we see the same thing - Apple has a blow out Q, Google's is so so and then we get a bunch of 3rd party reports on how well Android is doing.
1. Is there a single network offering both Android and iPhone where Android sales are better then iPhone anywhere in the world? No.
2. A single vendor that sells more Android phones than Apple sells iPhones? No
3. A single vendor that has higher sales growth than the iPhone? No
4. Even in the US, Att continues to outperform Verizon every single Q. Ecen with buy one get one offers for Android, Att sells way more iphones than Verizon sells Android phones.
5 Android is essentially the go to OS when the iphone isn't available. That's it.
@JonnyB I believe what you meant was "Go Go Google Patent Copter!".
@KarlW They don't give a crap about Java - or Android.
@iPhone 4 While what you say is true, the same it true for any OS like Unix or Linux... without apps (open source or otherwise) the OS is pretty useless... even a simple directory command, ls in Unix and Linux, relies on a binary program, unlike DOS or the Windows command shell which has built-in commands.
However, talk of open vs. proprietary isn't terribly germane to this particular topic; when Sun was Sun it obviously didn't see a problem with Java in Android; and, as far as other OSes, Java has always provided a free JRE that was easily user-installable (whether for Windows, OS X, Linux, Unix, etc.). So the question remains: Why does Larry Ellison have such a bug up his butt over Android? The simplest solution would be to say "OK... we'll supply a user-installable JRE for the Android Market" and ask Google to leave it out of the OS builds. But it's almost like there's a different agenda here.
Oh, and for the moron who keeps blathering that Google copied iPhone, I suggest you do some reading (if you're capable of doing so). Not even the UI copies the iPhone; if it did, you'd only e able to put app shortcuts on its home screen. And if you look back in history, Steve Jobs stole his original Lisa UI (which became the Mac UI) from Xerox PARC; he was so thrilled with it he decided to copy it.
@jaffreywali Very good points. But facts don't matter to iHaters. They will come back with gems like "only stupid people buy iPhones so it doesn't count". Discounting the fact that (the antenna issue aside) it has gotten raving reviews from every reviewer. Their answer to that..."the reviewers are biased".
@JojoMojo
Ooooh! I love strawman arguments! It's just so much fun to make up a non-existent opinion and then tear it down!
@jaffreywali
Appeal to popularity logical fallacy. Therefore, your argument is invalid. Lest I point out how poorly Apple is doing in the laptop and desktop market (marketshare wise).
Just keep changing those goalposts. Someone's butthurt that Android is everywhere from every phone provider and Apple has decided that only the chosen few should have their iPhone. Whose fault is it that the iPhone is only on one carrier? Apple. Then again, expecting one phone with one operating system to go head to head with 20+ phones with one operating system is just foolishness. Of course the most widely available OS will win. Just like Windows v. OSX in the 80s and 90s.
People are actively choosing Android over the iPhone, and they're buying phones that are just as expensive as the iPhone, which means that they don't believe the iPhone to have any advantage over their purchase, and that price isn't a factor.
I particularly love how you say in the same paragraph that Apple has blowout profits (aka: they're raping your wallet at a record pace! Wooo!) and then discrediting 3rd party reports about how well Android is doing.
Finally, what does this whole ranting of yours have to do with the article?
@Michael B
You aren't telling the whole Xerox/Jobs story. The GUI that Xerox was using throughout their network was extremely basic and barely functional. Xerox didn't have any plans on using it as they saw no long term value for it, so they were happy to allow Jobs and Co. to take tours of their facilities and examine the system (tours that Jobs insisted on paying for). They knew that Apple would probably use the idea in future products, but they didn't care because they didn't plan on selling an OS to the public anyways.
When it comes to the question, "Did Android copy the iPhone OS?", the answer is yes and no. Up until the iPhone release, Android was built as a Blackberry competitor (no touchscreen, trackball navigation, Google services aimed at enterprise). Once Schmidt saw the overwhelmingly positive consumer reaction to a touch-interface, they scrapped the enterprise ideas and focused on touch-enabled consumer devices. There are plenty of differences in the two UI's, and the OS's overall, but the iPhone completely changed the direction of Android, probably for the best.
@jaffreywali
Agreed. You sir understand the issues really well.
@Mike10010100 Non-existent? You sir, are living under a rock. I have seen more than enough arguments like the "only stupid people buy iPhones". I can show you scores of instances of people calling me stupid just because I choose something different. That is a fact. Whatever... I am fed up. I know I will get downranked by the paranoid android hemorrhoids. I am not going to waste my breath on you guys. I don't care anymore.
@Mike10010100 Right!.....Apple is losing... all the way to the bank. I would love to be a loser like that. WTF are you talking about. Not only is Apple the most valuable tech company today (by marcap) it is also *growing* faster than both Google and Microsoft. And before you dismiss me with "so what Microsoft makes more money". Remember, Apple more than Google and is also growing faster YOY both revenue and profit wise. Yeah..... digest that.
@Blaque14K
Google does license their search engine to businesses and provides a server and support to operate it on-site. But I guess that's something only iFools are aware of, while the fandroids still live in some kind of free and open fairy land. So what was your point again?
@jaffreywali don't know why you got downranked. You were right on the money. Fanboyism trumps logic and common sense on engadget these days.
@HighestRanked1
Why the fuck are you back.
Anyways
@jojomojo
Sure apples making more money than Google but Microsofts making more money then apple so you discredited your own argument you ignoramus. What you said shows that just because apple had more money in the bank its not the better product. And obviously it isn't because android is outselling it point blank period. When apple was still outselling android we couldn't hear enough of it so don't come and dismiss that fact now.
Apple simply made a terrible move by keeping a long ass contract with the blue deathstar which lead to androids rise and possible wp7. Eric played off of steves stupidity and who could blame him?
@JojoMojo
Can you explain why all phones on the AT&T site are open for user ratings, but no iPhone can be reviewed by the user? Seriously I would like to know why this is.
I would weather read reviews by users than so called journalist who want a invite to the next Apple press release.
@coolpal
I am sure some enterprise web apps are still done in Java, however it certainly does not lead, I have been developing enterprise web apps for over 9 years and have never once come across even legacy java apps! I have come across asp and flash but never java. .NET and PHP are the two out in front. I am in the UK though so perhaps the US is still clinging on to Java.
@jaffreywali I have to agree with you completely, no single android handset by any individual manufacturer has gone up against the iPhone and won. Mark my words, the day the iPhone comes to Verizon, Sprint and T mobile will be a very dark day for Android.
@genesis How could? How could any of you scum bags said anything against the GOD GOOGLE on Engadget? How dare you? Don't you know commenters on Engadget are Googles bitches? How dare you mess with FANDROIDS?
@jaffreywali
Stats are for losers.
@Raytem seriously why must you troll? Why? Stop taking peoples hate for apple so personally. If apple is great for you then why be upset its not for someone you don't even know?
@JonnyB Android itself doesn't use Java people, it uses Dalvik!!.... the process to translate java to dalvik takes place in the SDK.... this lawsuit is non-sense
@Sean Connery Oh c'mon, it was a little funny... the IBM part at the very least. No wonder the Engadget boards are so negative.
@iWebDroidBerry How stupid are you? The point I was making is Apple is not losing financially. Name one of Apple's competitor who is doing better than them year-over-year profit wise. Not HTC, Not Motorala, Not Google, Not Microsoft. Stupid people like you are just using up oxygen.