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Google wants to bring its Android copyright battle to the US Supreme Court
Google and Oracle are still arguing over code at the foundation of Google's mobile operating system, Android. Google this week filed a petition with the United States Supreme Court, which appealed a lower court's ruling that Oracle can legally copyright foundational code. The decisions have gone back and forth over the course of the last four years: First a judge in California ruled in favor of Google; then an appeals court ruled in favor of Oracle; and now Google's pushing for the Supreme Court to get involved. But what are the two internet giants even arguing about? At the heart of Android are a set of Java APIs that Oracle is claiming aren't available for commercial use without a licensing fee (approximately $1 billion). Google argues that the API code is functional -- not a "creative work" -- and therefore isn't copyrightable. The case is, of course, far more complex than our explanation, but that's the big picture (our own Chris Velazco goes into far more background detail right here).
Larry Ellison steps aside as Oracle CEO, former HP exec Mark Hurd promoted
Usually the only time we talk about Oracle is in relation to its battle with Google over Java and the use of related APIs in Android, but not today. At the age of 70, co-founder Larry Ellison is stepping down from the post of CEO and moving to a new post as Executive Chairman of the Board and CTO. Taking over the reins of the enterprise software company is the duo of Safra Catz and Mark Hurd. You'll recall Hurd as the former CEO of HP, who resigned from that company over a sexual harassment investigation and false expense reports, and then became the target of an (eventually resolved) lawsuit when he joined Oracle four years ago. His awkward exit resulted in collateral damage to HP acquisition Palm, and by extension webOS. The trio of Ellison, former CFO Catz and Hurd will share responsibilities going forward, with Ellison stating in the press release that the only difference is "Safra and Mark will now report to the Oracle Board rather than to me." [Image credit: NBAE/Getty Images]
Oracle gets another shot at making Google pay for using its code in Android
Oh, you thought Oracle and Google's heated legal battle was over? Not quite: the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) overturned a lower court's decision that Oracle's Java APIs weren't copyrightable. This means that Oracle gets another shot at making Mountain View pay for its alleged transgressions, assuming Google can't prove that its use of the APIs in Android falls under the fair use doctrine of US copyright law.
Four videos of RIFT's new souls in action
RIFT subreddit moderator Seatin has posted to YouTube complete videos of all four of RIFT's upcoming 2.7 souls and how they perform in combat. To recap, the update will deliver: The Arbiter, an elemental tanking soul for the Mage, The Physician, a primary healing soul for the Rogue, The Oracle, a buffing and debuffing soul for the Cleric, and The Liberator, a tank-healer soul for the Warrior. Enjoy the videos after the break!
Massively Exclusive: RIFT reveals the Oracle soul
Tomorrow, Trion Worlds is set to reveal another of RIFT's planned new souls, the Oracle, but Massively has an exclusive preview and lore piece for you today. Arriving in RIFT's 2.7 upcoming patch, the Oracle is a Cleric soul that allows the equipper to buff and debuff large groups using water and death magic. Oracles arrive from a dark future where their mastery-level support skills have forestalled the annihilation of Telara. Gifted with powers of Water and Death, these versatile casters can lift entire raids to triumph with a repertoire of powerful boons, shields, heals, buffs, and curses. As a group member, they're indispensable. As an enemy, they're impossible to ignore. We've got another screenie and the official background story for the Oracle tucked after the cut. Read on!
Alter Ego: Issue #3 - DCUO's Streets of Fear
Previously in Massively's DC Universe Online webcomic, Kid Critical suited up with a little help from Oracle and learned to harness his new exobyte powers after escaping from Brainiac's deadly harvester ship. Now, he must assist the Gotham vigilante known as Batman as he tracks the nefarious Scarecrow through the city's East End. Can Kid Critical and the Bat family stop Scarecrow's deadly fear gas before it blankets the entire city? Find out in Alter Ego #3: Streets of Fear.
Big guns have Apple's back in iPhone 4 ban
What do Microsoft, Oracle, Intel and AT&T have in common? All four of the major corporations are jumping to Apple's defense against the impending iPhone 4 ban ordered by the US International Trade Commission (ITC). The Wall Street Journal reports that a trade group representing Microsoft, Oracle and Intel -- BSA -- was joined by AT&T in supporting Apple's side of the ban, which was brought about thanks to arch-rival Samsung. Samsung won a case before the ITC, and the potential ban, which still has to be approved by US Trade Representative Michael Froman before going into effect on August 4, was sought as a patent-infringement settlement. BSA argues that the use of essential industry patents to ban products should not be allowed, except under unusual circumstances. The companies are concerned, though, that the ban sets precedent. Companies must license patented technology to competitors at a reasonable rate. This is known as FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) licensing. Apple and the other companies are concerned that the ITC ruling might allow companies to demand excessive royalties by threatening a product ban on rivals if they don't open their wallets. AT&T's concern is that the ITC ruling eliminates a highly popular entry-level iPhone for AT&T customers, and they argue that a ban is "inconsistent with the president's goal of ubiquitous broadband deployment."
Tesla to join the Nasdaq 100 as Oracle departs for the NYSE
As of Monday, July 15th, Tesla Motors will be included in the Nasdaq 100, a list of the largest non-financial stocks on Nasdaq's index. A spot in that elite group opened up when Oracle announced that it would be moving to the New York Stock Exchange, making it inelegible for inclusion on Nasdaq. The news seemed to please shareholders, and at the time of this writing, Tesla's stock had surged ahead nearly 2 percent. The company's entry into the Nasdaq 100 is a sure sign that its forward trajectory is nigh unstoppable -- at least for now. With an overall stock gain of nearly 260 percent in 2013, Tesla Motors just keeps on truckin'.
Antitrust complaint levied against Google in EU, this time it's all about Android
Google has spent the past couple years facing down antitrust accusations in Europe for pushing its web services over those of competitors. But, just as that case is coming to a close, the New York Times now reports that new anti-competitive allegations have been levied against Android. This new complaint was filed by a group called Fairsearch -- whose members include old EU foes Microsoft and Nokia, plus Oracle and a host of travel booking websites -- and claims that Google's using Android as a way to deceive consumers into using Google apps instead of competitors' software. The problem, as Fairsearch sees it, is that Google forces OEMs who use Android to unfairly place apps like YouTube and Gmail in prominent places on the desktop. Of course, this new complaint is just the beginning, so we'll have to wait and see what the European Commission's investigation into the matter uncovers, and how the folks in Mountain View respond.
Oracle releases v11 fix for zero-day Java security flaw
Oracle has released an official fix for the Java security flaw that was reported by CERT (the Computer Emergency Readiness Team) on January 11. Shortly after the flagging by CERT, Apple took steps to disable the Java plug-in on all Macs running OS X 10.6 or later by amending the XProtect malware/minimum versions file. Users who want to re-enable a secure, working version of Java can download the update here. The update is recommended for users on all operating systems including Windows and Linux. Of course, if you don't need to be running a Java VM for a specific reason, your most secure path is to not have it installed. At a minimum, you might consider TJ's reasonable advice and reserve your browser-centric Java activities to a single-site browser like Fluid.app, or simply leave Java disabled for browser access most of the time and only turn it on when specifically required. From the release notes, Oracle states: "Due to the severity of these vulnerabilities, the public disclosure of technical details and the reported exploitation of CVE-2013-0422 'in the wild,' Oracle strongly recommends that customers apply the updates provided by this Security Alert as soon as possible." Apple no longer distributes its own version of Java for Macs running OS X 10.7 or higher. Oracle is now directly responsible for producing and updating the Mac JRE package, as it does for other mainstream operating systems.
Oracle patches Java exploits, toughens its default security levels (update: Apple does too)
Oracle hasn't had a great start to 2013. It's barely into the new year, and Apple and Mozilla are already putting up roadblocks to some Java versions after discoveries of significant browser-based exploits. The company has been quick to respond, however, and already has a patched-up version ready to go. The Java update goes one step further to minimize repeat incidents, as well -- it makes the "high" setting the default and asks permission before it launches any applet that wasn't officially signed. If you've been skittish about running a Java plugin ever since the latest exploits became public, hit the source to (potentially) calm your nerves. Update: Apple has released its flavor of Java built for Macs with the appropriate patch as well. [Thanks, Trevor]
Java 7 and Chrome don't play well together
In the immortal words of Lando Calrissian, "This deal keeps getting worse all the time." Apple's recent Java update removes the Java 6-compatible web plugins from OS X, forcing users that need Java in the browser to move to Oracle's Java runtime, which is at version 7. From a security and supportability standpoint, it's a sensible move. There's a couple of flies in the ointment, however, starting with the supported browser list. While Safari, Firefox and (I believe) Opera all behave well with the new v7 plugin, one popular browser does not: Google's Chrome. The current Chrome build for Mac is 32-bit (as are the available beta/development builds), but Oracle's Java is 64-bit. You can't run a 64-bit plugin in a 32-bit browser, full stop. On OS X 10.8.2 with the Java patch, the v6 32-bit browser plugins won't work either. There's no workaround for the moment, other than to use a browser other than Chrome for your Java needs. As Michael Horowitz (maintainer of the handy Java Tester website) points out on Computerworld's Defensive Computing blog, Chrome incompatibility isn't the only hassle with the new arrangement. If you have Apple's Java (v6) installed, adding Oracle's v7 doesn't remove the older version. In fact, there are some applications, including Talkshoe's Mac client, that won't install or run unless the Apple v6 Java framework is present. So now you've got one Java for browsers and another for... well, everything else, mostly. The core advice for Java, at this point, is don't enable it unless you actually need it for a specific reason (such as the backup tool CrashPlan). Apple's Java Preferences applet that formerly lived in the Utilities folder is gone, replaced by a quasi-preference pane for Oracle's Java, so if you want to disable or uninstall the v6 version you're either going to have to grab a copy of the deleted utility or do some minor spelunking in the Terminal.
Java plugin users on Mountain Lion nudged firmly toward Oracle
We made mention of this last Tuesday night when the relevant software update hit, but apparently that level of attention wasn't adequate: scores of stories across the tech and conventional media are now trumpeting the fact that Apple has removed its homegrown browser plugin for Java from OS X with the Java 2012-006 1.0 update, and is encouraging users who need Java in web browsers to download the Oracle runtime directly. This is a notable change, but not surprising: Apple deprecated its own Java exactly two years ago ("deprecated" = developer jargon meaning "We don't plan to work on this any more, and you should not count on it being around for all that much longer"). Oracle is now offering a v7 OS X build [link corrected] that's comparable with the Java packages for other operating systems. Of course, just because it's Oracle doesn't mean it's safe; a recent zero-day exploit in Java targeted the v7 runtime exclusively, which (at the time) few Mac users were running as Apple's version hadn't advanced past v6. That's bound to change pretty quickly now that the browser plugin switch has been thrown, although it's also going to make users who don't need Java somewhat more secure.
Apple says no Java for you, removes plugin from browsers on OS X 10.7 and up
Apple has recently released a Mac update for OS X Lion and Mountain Lion that removes its Java plugin from all OS X browsers. If you install the update, you'll find a region labeled "Missing plug-in" in place of a Java applet; of course, Apple can't stop you from clicking on it to download a Java plug-in directly from Oracle. The Cupertino-based company had previously halted pre-installing Java in OS X partially due to the exploitable factors of the platform, so this update signifies further distancing from Larry Ellison's pride and joy.
Oracle begins appeal process in its Java patent case against Google, Android (Update: Google too)
You should know by now that it's never truly over when tech giants resort to legal warfare over their technology, and just as it said it would, Oracle has filed an appeal of the US District Court ruling in its case against Google. In case you'd forgotten, back in May Judge William Alsup found that the structure of its Java APIs were not copyrightable so Oracle had to settle for $0 in damages over its claims that Android infringed on its patents and copyrights. FOSS Patent's Florian Mueller has a full breakdown of what he sees in the case, meanwhile we'll be preparing our fallout shelters for potential Android Armageddon... again. Update: Haven't had enough of paperwork flying back and forth? Good, because according to Bloomberg, Google has also filed an appeal in the case over the judge's decision not to set aside the jury's copyright verdict or order a new trial.
EU clears resales of used software, shoots down Oracle's new-sales-only dreams
One advantage American technology fans can celebrate is the right to resell software. After the initial purchase, they're usually cleared to pass along any apps or games as long as the technology itself allows. Europeans haven't had that (legal) option to date, but the EU's Court of Justice has just ruled in a case against Oracle that they will going forward: no matter what the license says, those in EU countries can resell their downloaded apps as long as they don't try to keep a working copy for themselves. The new owner doesn't even have to shuffle over a local example and can go straight to the source. We can't imagine that Oracle and other companies averse to used software are jumping for joy, although copy protection and a lack of digital resale mechanisms might help them simmer down and let us treat our apps like we do our gadgets. [Image credit: Maciej Bliziński, Flickr]
Google to pay $0 in damages to Oracle, wait for appeal
After watching Judge Alsup strike down its patent and Java API infringement claims, Oracle seems to be cutting its losses, agreeing to accept $0 in damages from Google. Confused? So was the Judge, who reportedly responded to the proposal by asking, "is there a catch I need to be aware of?" No catch, but Oracle isn't giving up, stating that it's taking its case to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. If successful, the appeal could put the two firms back in Alsup's courtroom, perhaps asking for somewhere between the previously proposed $32.3 million and today's sum total of zilch. We'll let you know when the drama comes around again.
Oracle sues Lodsys to squash its patents, deals in ironic reversals of fortune
Lodsys has been facing an increasing backlash ever since it began suing left and right to scrape money from developers over patents, including countering lawsuits from some heavy hitters. Its stiffest opposition might have just lined up in the form of Oracle, however. The database behemoth is hoping to render four of Lodsys' patents invalid and prevent it from threatening further lawsuits against companies that use Oracle's technology, such as current target Walgreens. The lawsuits are focused more on web chats than on the in-app purchasing that has put more than a few mobile app developers in jeopardy, although it might help EA or Rovio at ease knowing Lodsys might be defanged. Oracle certainly isn't mincing any words in its accusations: it out-and-out accuses Lodsys of being a patent troll that profits from technology it didn't invent and will never use. Strong rhetoric against patent lawsuits won't guarantee Oracle a victory in court, but it certainly creates a minor degree of irony for a company that unsuccessfully sued Google over patents inherited through an acquisition.
Pixar president Dr. Ed Catmull, Oracle's Larry Ellison discuss Steve Jobs
Over the years, Steve Jobs was a big part of the annual D:All Things Digital conference and his presence at the recent D10 was sorely missed. In one long sit-down session, both Pixar President Dr. Ed Catmull and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison talk candidly about their interactions with Jobs and his influence on technology. In one part of the interview, Ellison focuses on Jobs's cutting personality and how that led to his removal from Apple in the early days of the company. Ellison called this removal "an incredible mistake" and said it influences how young CEOs do business today. In another clip from the interview, Catmull, who worked with Jobs at Pixar, and Ellison reflect on their 25+ years of friendship with the Apple founder. This clip is filled with insight into Job's personality and leadership skills.
Oracle v. Google: Judge finds structure of Java APIs not copyrightable, renders jury infringement verdict moot
Thought the Oracle v. Google litigation fireworks were over? Well, if you weren't aware, during the copyright phase of the trial, the jury found that Google had infringed the structure, sequence and organization of Oracle's Java APIs. However, at the time, Judge Alsup had yet to evaluate the validity of Oracle's API copyright claims upon which that verdict was based. Today, Alsup found that Oracle's argument didn't hold water because it would expand the breadth of copyright holder's rights too far -- in essence, it would allow owners of software code to prevent others from writing different versions to perform the same functions. This ruling renders the jury's earlier infringement verdict moot, and gives Mountain View yet another courtroom victory. Despite this latest defeat, Oracle's sure to run the case up one more rung on the legal ladder, so let the countdown to the appeal begin.