“The main attraction of Android for mobile phone manufacturers has been that it is free, but as phone makers like Samsung and HTC have found out, Android’s encumbrance is that it is constantly pursued in courts all over the globe by Apple and Microsoft,” Nigam Arora reports for Forbes. “Samsung has already agreed to pay millions to Microsoft for licensing patents related to Android.”
“Some investors may be surprised to know that the biggest blow landed on Android may not be coming from the fist of iPhone maker Apple, but instead from the samurai sword of Larry Ellison at Oracle,” Arora reports. “Jury selection begins today in San Francisco in a trial that pits Google against Oracle. Oracle is suing Google over intellectual property related to Java… Oracle’s arguments may include an email from a Google engineer concluding that Google should seek a license from Oracle to use Java. Barring a settlement, we will know the results soon as the trial is expected to last only eight weeks.”
Arora reports, “If Oracle wins, it may seek $5.00 to $7.00 in royalties per handset… Such royalty payments may cripple Android as it will take away its advantage of being free.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take:
I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this. – Steve Jobs
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Google’s Android has generated just $550 million since 2008, but billions from Apple iPhone, figures suggest – March 30, 2012
Google proposes Android revenue for Oracle; Oracle rebuffs offer as too low; trial starts April 16th – March 28, 2012
Google loses bid to exclude incriminating email from Oracle patent infringement trial – February 6, 2012
Oracle contradicts Google on damages, vows to fight hard for injunction against Android – September 23, 2011
Oracle seeks injunction against Android distribution as an ‘incompatible clone of Java’ – September 22, 2011
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Google’s Larry Page: Steve Jobs’ fury over Android was ‘for show’ – April 4, 2012
Apple’s thermonuclear war on Android – March 29, 2012
Steve Jobs: ‘I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product; I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this’ – October 20, 2011
What is up with Eric Schmidt’s revisionist history of his relationship with Steve Jobs? – October 14, 2011
Apple CEO Steve Jobs hid iPad development from Google mole Eric Schmidt – April 12, 2011
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I hope I am wrong but I can’t see this jury (plumber,photographer) keeping up with the nuance of all the tech speak that will be throw at them from Google.
End result.
Oracle loss. or an Oracle win with no teeth.
Really hope I am wrong.
The internal Google email is enough to hang Google ….. The jury may not understand the whole case but the email is very very damming, very damming ….
The jury doesn’t need to understand all the tech speak details. All the jury needs to know, which a good lawyer will lay out, is that Google stole Java and Google’s own engineers told management that they needed to buy a license to use the code, but that Google ignored the warning and proceeded to steal the code.
The benefit of not understanding the tech speak is that Google’s defense is going to be highly technical, so Oracle is already in a much better position to come out victorious simply because the jury will understand “Google stole our stuff, and we should get paid for it” rather than Google’s geek speak about differences in code, function, etc.
Towards end of June we should know outcome …. And then of course the Appeal and Orcale will tighten screws and up ante with each move ….
this is correct.
The jury doesn’t have to know the ins and outs of tech. Or any case really.
I’d the jury had to know the tech involved in lawsuits like this, we could pretty much only have people from silicon valley fill a jury.
Good point. Hope you are correct, because what Andy Rubin and google did was blatant theft IMO.
And their email is the smoking gun, thank goodness that got it.
what email is that being mentioned… interesting… AND STUPID on Google’s part.
This is the one time where MSFT actually has an original interface… and though they arent selling much now bcuz of Androids… They may be the big winner in all this if Google loses the case.
Lawyers win again…
$5-$7 per set plus damages and back-pay …… It will cost Google tens of billions, they are in big trouble ….
If Google is truly activating 500,000 Android handsets per day, $5-$7 per handset is an amazing number.
About 3 million a day times x days plus damages …… The damages will be huge …..
is there an usual X factor for damages of in software cases? like 1.5 or 3x?
Maybe we’ll get a non-hyped number of handsets now that there’s a bill to be paid 😛
best comment I have read in a very lOng time.
Triple damages if found to be willfully infringing… That email will put them out of business if the licensing costs don’t…
Should know in about ten weeks ….. It was intentional, per the email anyways, this could be a big downer for Google …. A BIG ONE ….. I mean we are talking about shutting down Andriod or Google paying big as Orcale gave them their opportunity …..
“may cripple Android”
the writer means cripple android BESIDES issues of …
fragmentation, bugs, no OS updates by OEMS, crapware, malware and app piracy…
We can only hope.
If Google loses, they will have been done in by their own Tojan Horse, aka Android… A most deadly virus.
Is it the case that damages will include unauthorised distributions of Android e.g. Amazon, Sony, unknown numbers of Chinese Android phones?