We’ve got some really good news for all of you: the jury verdict in the patent phase of the Oracle v. Google trial is in, and it’s a unanimous one: no patent infringement. This means that the most Oracle could possibly get out of this is a few hundred thousand dollars if (and that’s a very big if) judge Alsup rules that APIs are copyrightable. Oracle pretty much lost everything. Permit me to say, in your face, Ellison.
And i hope this sets a precedence for all patent infringement trials to come!
The interesting thing about jury trials is that regardless of facts and law – a jury can still rule in favor of whomever they believe is in the right.
Long live jury nullification!
This is why I never try to avoid jury duty…
Unfortunately, this decision only applies to Android, Java source code and to two specific patents. There is no ruling yet as to the generic question if APIs are subject to copyright in the US (they aren’t in the EU).
So, Oracle acquired Sun for nothing?
It seems that way!
Well, except for the fact that Oracle has historically invested heavily in java-based technology and has a vested interest in making sure it continues to be relevant…
The lawsuit seemed to be just an extra money-grab that they salivated over during the purchase negotiations.
More like calculated attack against Android. Done as a favour for a friend. We have to remember that late Steve Jobs was friends with Oracle boss to the level that when Elliot got (re)married Jobs took the wedding photos… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Ellison#Personal_life
Only if suing google was the only reason why they bought sun.
They also got Solaris, Java copyrights/ official control of language, Sparc, and Mysql.
All true, but all of those things (bar the control) were all freely available for anyone to use and modify.
You cannot modify Java if you are not Oracle, and Sparc is also proprietary. Now, whether it is worth 7 billions $ is an other question (but then Facebook was valued at a 100 billions…)
You cannot modify Java and still call it Java without going through the certification process, but you can modify it and call it Jim’s funky Language as long as you follow the GPL and other associated licenses.
http://openjdk.java.net/
Just looked there now, Ironically one of the companies to go through the certification process: Google.
http://openjdk.java.net/groups/conformance/JckAccess/jck-access.htm…
Obviously, this certification must relate to something other than Android as Sun/Oracle refuse to start the certification process on anything that runs on a mobile device. Which makes me wonder about Windows 8 and arm.
Java is GPL, ANYONE can use, modify and distribute GPL code quite freely.
http://openjdk.java.net/
SPARC is fully open-source, again, anyone can use, modify and distribute it quite freely.
http://www.opensparc.net/
Oracle didn’t need to buy Sun to use and modify Java nor SPARC, nor the GPL MySQL.
Thanks for modding me down “incorrect” btw. I’d return the favour seeing as you actually are incorrect but I can’t. :rolleyes:
edit:Cleanup
Edited 2012-05-24 01:16 UTC
Mysql has always had a proprietary version which they license to other parties and sell support contracts for. Oracle did jack those prices up after taking over. It went from “maybe we should pay for licenses” to ” no way in heck are we paying for licenses”.
Except you cannot call it Java, so yes, you can modify and distribute the SDK, and since you have to change the name, then no one will use it. So no, you cannot modify Java without being Oracle (or Sun back in the time).
OpenSparc is a old Sparc design, the more recent version of Sparc are fully proprietary.
And since all of that is GPL, if you want to make proprietary version, you need to buy the copyright holder. And making proprietary product is exactly how Oracle intend to make money out of their acquisition of Sun. And if you have not noticed, they have already started, they killed OpenSolaris, they do release closed source improvement to MySQL, the last news on OpenSparc is 2 years old (before that they were quiet active, it shows how much the project is going to go forward…). Only Java still remains relatively “free”, but that was probably part of the deal with regulators.
You would think you would buy a company because of its technology, contracts and people. Buying Sun so you can sue Google is almost as dumb as throwing out all your current and future products so you can be a windows phone shop.
I know I’m naive, but if they loved money so much, why did they spend $7 billion anyways? Why not just keep what they had (what, it’s not enough?)? Spending $7 billion just to make more money seems a bit silly.
This is a triumph of ordinary people (The jurors) over the power of corporations.
I too hope this sets a precedent in the US legal system for subsequent software patent trials to bring it in-line with the saner parts of the world that do not allow software patents.
Google does a real good job of writing things like this. They did it for the SOPA and PIPA thing, they did it when they started acquiring Motorola Mobility.
“In your face, Ellison”?
Pardon my french, but it is more “in your fesses, Ellison”
… Oracle already won at least 150k$ for the checkRange function and the test files (not sure if it is 150k$ total or multiply by the number of test files + 1). However, if API are ruled to be copyrightable, a new trial would have to be held to determine if Google is protected by fair use, and if not, the damage earned by Oracle could amount in several millions.
But anyway, it is all going to be appealed, so lets meet again in a year…
$150K is a maximum, not a minimum. We are only talking about 9 lines of code, after all.
PS: Oracle’s estimated costs to bring this lawsuit amounts to about $10 million.
Edited 2012-05-23 23:44 UTC
Nope. They may win that. But remember we were told (by the usual suspects) that this was a “billion dollar case” which would “spell doom on Android”.
And now?
(Groklaw)
Uhuhuh.
Right, except they started out asking $6bln. and they get at most $150k. That’s a 40000-fold smaller sum, or 0,0025% if you prefer. Not really a big win…
If API are copyrightable, Oracle is gonna get eviscerated by IBM, which owns the original SQL copyrights. Selling SQL databases and services is Oracle’s primary business after all.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/23/3039284/oracle-google-jury-deadlo…
/facepalm
I don’t know what’s more stupid. Software patents or having a jury trial on something intricate as this?
Edited 2012-05-23 21:33 UTC
I find it funny, that the whole legal process can be described as a lawyer popularity battle, rather than logical evidence analysis.
Decision on copyrightability of APIs is more critical for everyone in general, but the current outcome is already great.