TMCnet Feature Free eNews Subscription
July 05, 2011

Google Could Owe Oracle $2.6 Billion for Patent Violations: Report

By Erin Harrison, Executive Editor, Strategic Initiatives

Google executives took a deep breath before the recent holiday weekend following the news that the search giant could owe Oracle (News - Alert) as much as $2.6 billion for allegedly violating Java patent violations, several media outlets reported.



A court filing was made Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, according to PC World.

“The final amount could falls between the “breathtaking” $1.4 billion and $6.1 billion range Google (News - Alert) previously cited based on its own interpretation of Oracle expert Iain Cockburn’s damages report,” the June 28 report said.

The Redwood Shores, Calif.-based tech company alleges that “Google infringed Oracle patents on the Java programming language and its use in the Android (News - Alert) operating system,” the LA Times reported. Oracle is also seeking 15 percent of the revenue Google receives from advertising on its mobile operating system, the report said.

But in a letter filed earlier this month, Google attorney Scott Weingaertner said, “Even the low end of Cockburn’s range is over 10 times the amount that Sun Microsystems (News - Alert), Inc. made each year for the entirety of its Java licensing program and 20 times what Sun made for Java-based mobile licensing,” according to PC World’s June 30 report.

In a June 6 letter to U.S. District Judge William Alsup, Google attorneys called the multi-billion dollar number, “A breathtaking figure that is out of proportion to any meaningful measure of the intellectual property at issue.”

Last year, Oracle sued Google claiming that its Android mobile operating system was in violation of several patents for Java, which Oracle acquired through the purchase of Sun Microsystems in January 2010.

It has been speculated that despite Google’s motion for filing the case under seal, shareholder confidence may already have been shaken as a result of the case in general, TMCnet recently reported. Google shares hit a nine-month low in June, sliding below $490.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.




Erin Harrison is Executive Editor, Strategic Initiatives, for TMC, where she oversees the company's strategic editorial initiatives, including the launch of several new print and online initiatives. She plays an active role in the print publications and TMCnet, covering IP communications, information technology and other related topics. To read more of Erin's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell
» More TMCnet Feature Articles
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]
SHARE THIS ARTICLE

LATEST TMCNET ARTICLES

» More TMCnet Feature Articles