Oracle is just trying to become a late player in the smart phone market.

If you can't build one, sue one.

Oracle is jumping on the lamest business model out there.

Patent it, then wait for someone rich to build it, then sue.

Someone needs to remind the patent offices and courts that patents and patent protection was created to encourage creativity and innovation in the marketplace.

In relation to hardware and software lately I feel like patents have the opposite effect.

It seems now the only profession that 'techno' patents encourage creativity and innovation in is the legal profession.

Wrong.. Oracle's business model is licensing & support contracts. Other then that, for as much patents as they sit on they were never a big lawsuit happy bunch.

Would be interesting to see what the real violation is. If google did break something, its up to oracle to protect it.. whatever it may be.

Google goes after people like mad who infringe on their ip as well..

@ByronM, I cannot recall reading about any patent cases where Google was the aggressor.

This looks to me as though Oracle want to use patents to effectively undo Sun's open sourcing of Java.

Bryon I wasn't suggesting that it is Oracle's only business model. I am suggesting that they are adding a new one.

What phone OS has Oracle made? I understand that Java runs on most phones. Details aren't really out there on what exactly the infringement is but I am willing to bet it will be a vague reference to a method of doing something while connected to the Internet and won't really be an invention but merely a method of achieving a goal online.

And Google having done it doesn't make it ok for someone to do it as well.

I never excused any of these patent trolls, i just stated the obvious that Google does enforce its IP and does so with an iron fist. Most people cave without it going to courts though... (many open source projects built around android have seen the wrath of google ip lawyers)

business week "The complaint targets Google’s Dalvik virtual machine, one of the software programs used to run applications on the phones. Oracle claims the software was developed using the Java platform. Google hired former Sun engineers so it knew of the Java technology, Oracle said in the complaint."

Oracle is a cutthroat company.. maybe their 7.3 billion dollar purchase of Sun always had this in the back of their mind.. i dunno.

Software patents suck though :)

Thanks for digging up those details Bryon.

Software patents do suck, I think I am oversensitive when it comes to them now.

I don't think much of Larry Ellison. If it goes to a jury trial it's an almost guaranteed loss.

I certainly hope Oracle isn't following the the steps of SCO thats for sure... will be interesting to see what comes of this considering a good chunk of java was open source/public license of some sorts. Had to be something more specific to hotspot/jvm or something.

Anyone know if .net has any deals with sun (oracle) on vm patents?

I don't think much of Larry Ellison. If it goes to a jury trial it's an almost guaranteed loss.

The two things are totally unrelated and Larry didn't even own SUN when those patents were taken.

Lets wait for the courts to rule on the matter but...

If Google violated another companies patents I hope it costs them dearly to send them a message, it would have to be an extreme penalty.

If Oracle is full of hot air It should cost them as well but the "lesson" pricetag would be smaller. Smaller company with less of a history of taking from others.

many open source projects built around android have seen the wrath of google ip lawyers

Over copyrights (distributing Google proprietary apps), not patents, AFAIK.

I doubt its Oracle will behave in the same way as SCO overall - that was the last resort of a failing business, Oracle is anything but that.

What surprises me is that Google do not seem to have anticipated this, especially as Dalvik appears to have been designed to avoid reliance on anything Sun owns.

Software patents suck!

Over copyrights (distributing Google proprietary apps), not patents, AFAIK.

Its all IP anyway.. be it a patent/copyright/trademark way they bust you. Its "ironic" that on every OS but they own creation those apps are freely available to be installed without breaking the TOS.

The last thing google wants is a competitive & open cell market.. as we have seen with their verizon lies & ties. They're new mantra is "try not to be caught being evil" :)

Hi, How Oracle is reffed to SCO. It is a programming language.

If Google violated another companies patents I hope it costs them dearly to send them a message

I don't think that punishing Google is a good enough reason to keep feeding patent trolls.

It was pointed out in an article I read, something as large and successful as Android that
"""If you get someone good enough they can find a potential patent conflict."""