Oracle Thinks Google Owes $6.1 Billion In Damages

An anonymous reader writes "When Oracle acquired Sun in 2009, the company got its hands on a lot of desirable technology. While OpenOffice may have fallen by the wayside, Oracle isn't about to let the Java programming language and its associated patents remain untouched if they can generate some additional revenue. In fact, the company is currently in the middle of a legal battle with Google over those patents that could potentially net Oracle billions and leave Android crippled. In August last year Oracle sued Google for infringing Java patents and copyright by developing Android. Oracle argues that Android uses technology derived from Java and therefore infringes multiple patents. It wants compensation, but with most court documents and details not publicly available, it's hard to know specifics. However, new documents made available late last week revealed just how much Oracle thinks is an acceptable damages payment for Google to make. According to an expert Oracle hired, Google could be looking at a bill between $1.4 billion and $6.1 billion for its alleged infringements."

Comments

Good.

[Hazel Bergeron]

Oracle has had decades of experience at being a productive prick. Unlike Ballmer, Ellison is not an accountant upgraded beyond his station. If there's someone who will put up a determined fight to cut Google down to size and hinder Brin and Page's journeys into everyone's lives, it's him. If the option was available, they'd all be against the wall - but a second best is to have them squabbling with each other. Their egos are, I think, too great for them to engage in the usual cooperation-under-a-thin-veil-of-competition of large corporations.

(Soviet information-gathering was evil because that time round your family wasn't the one which got to protect its own privacy while taking everyone else's, right Sergei?)