Oracle goes to court against Google over Android copyright

In a significant move, Oracle Corp. has initiated a lawsuit against Internet search engine giant Google Inc., claiming patent and copyright breach while developing the software for the popular Android smartphone. The lawsuit – ‘Oracle of America Inc v Google Inc’ has been filed in the US District Court, Northern District of California. A website report quotes a statement issued by Karen Tillman, an Oracle spokeswoman, saying that the legal action initiated on Thursday last in California federal court, alleged that Google has intentionally, directly and constantly breached the Java-related intellectual property of Oracle while developing Android. She added that the legal proceeding initiated by Oracle asks for suitable corrective measures. It may be mentioned here that earlier this year, Oracle has purchased Java from Sun Microsystems at a whopping price of $5.6 billion. According to industry experts, the lawsuit filed by Oracle against Google could be an indication of the software major’s plans to become further belligerent in pursuing licensees for Java – a technology used in several forms of products based on the Internet. The analysts have confirmed that the Android operating system of Google Inc. employs segments of the Java technology. Meanwhile, Larry Ellison, chief executive of Oracle Corp, has stated that he considers the Java software as a vital asset hinting that the technology is utilized in an assortment of electronic gadgets ranging from PCs to DVD players. According to Edwards Reines, an intellectual property attorney at Weil Gotshall who is engaged in another patent lawsuit against Oracle, as far as administering the Java patents is concerned; the corporate philosophy of Sun Microsystems has been quite unlike Oracle’s policies. On the other hand, when contacted, a spokesperson of Google said that he was unable to issue a statement regarding the legal proceedings since his company was yet to review it. Earlier, on August 4 this year, Eric Schmidt, Google Inc. chief executive, has told a conference that approximately 200,000 smartphones and additional gadgets using the Android operating system were sold daily.