Update: Oracle sues Google over Java use in Android – Computerworld
IDG News Service – Oracle has filed a lawsuit against Google, charging that its Android phone software infringes Oracle patents and copyrights related to Java, Oracle said Thursday.
via Update: Oracle sues Google over Java use in Android – Computerworld.
Most of the commenters on this story are missing a couple of important points:
- Android isn’t Java and doesn’t pretend to be. It’s using the Java language and some open source Java libraries, but its class file format and VM are completely different.
- Oracle’s lawsuit seems to be based primarily on a number of patents. These patents generally have to do with sandboxing, capabilities, and class initialization. Those patents probably do apply to Android even though the Android VM is very different. The real question is whether those patents are valid, given that the concepts predate even Java.
- Oracle also claims copyright violations. Since Android isn’t using Oracle source code, this is likely some kind of “interface copyright” claim, meaning that anybody implementing any Java APIs would be subject to the same copyright claims.
Overall, this lawsuit is a problem for Google, but it’s an even bigger problem for Java. If Oracle’s claims stand, then Java is owned lock, stock, and barrel by Oracle and the platform is as proprietary as Microsoft Windows. Furthermore, if the patents stand, lots of other virtual machines are potentially at risk as well, including the CLR and Mono.
Ironically, Apple’s iOS is probably safe, although not for a very good reason: iOS is seriously deficient in modern security and sandboxing features, putting its users at risk; but the consequence of that deficiency is that they aren’t subject to lawsuits over patents involving such features. Of course, Apple has its own patent problems with Nokia.
