Google Responds to Oracle Patent Infringement Claims
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]