In what many may consider a surprise move, today Oracle filed a lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit alleges that Google has infringed on the Intellectual Property that has belonged to Oracle since the company acquired Sun Microsystems last year.
According to MarketWatch, Oracle filed the complaint in a federal court in California. Oracle claims in the lawsuit that Google has infringed on seven patents and copyrights with its Android mobile Operating System. A Google spokesman has stated that the company has yet to receive the actual lawsuit paperwork.
Therefore, they declined to comment on the situation. A spokeswoman for Oracle has also declined to comment. Oracle claimed the Java platform as a portion of their purchase of Sun Microsystems. The sale was finalized earlier this year upon the completion of a European antitrust review.
Larry Ellison, CEO, Oracle stated “Java is the single most important software we"ve ever acquired.” during a conference call in early 2009. That sentiment was once again reiterated when the lawsuit was made today. Oracle stated that the Java platform currently has 6.5 million developers that leverage the platform.
They state that Google Android is competitive with Oracle’s Java platform for cell phones and other mobile devices. The reason for their claim is apparently the fact that Android includes Java applications. Due to the fact that Android is the number two cellular phone platform, this lawsuit will have huge implications for the future of the market. One thing is for sure. Neowin will be watching this case with great interest.