Sun CEO Explicitly Endorsed Java's Use In Android

An anonymous reader writes "ZDNet writes: 'If you believe Oracle's patent lawsuits against Google for its use of Java in Android, Google has stolen not just patented ideas but directly copied Java code. In short, Google is a red-handed thief and should pay Oracle over a billion in damages. There's just one little problem with this portrayal of Google as an intellectual property (IP) bandit. When Android first came out, Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz, then Java's owner, greeted the news with 'heartfelt congratulations.' Whoops.'"

Re:Won't stop Oracle

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

There is probably some argument, however tenuous, that merely having Sun's CEO publicly praise the use of basically-java in Android didn't actually constitute implicit permission to use whatever java-related patented techniques are at question.

Even if that side of things pans out, though, it certainly makes it a bit harder to make the argument that Google was willfully infringing(which would potentially up the damages significantly), since that isn't exactly the sound of a CEO who is getting willfully-infringed upon...

Re:Won't stop Oracle

[Gadget_Guy]

If commentary on Groklaw concerning this very subject is any indication of probably outcome, then the case is pretty much already lost because of the doctrine of estoppel.

That is interesting. If this is a valid defense then I wonder why we also find warnings on Groklaw to avoid Mono because of patent concerns. Surely the same doctrine would cover Mono even more than this case, because Microsoft have been way more enthusiastic a simple press release.

Re:Java is for goatfuckers

[digitig]

Not mutually exclusive.

Re:Fuck Oracle!

[OneMadMuppet]

No, they killed Solaris - not by shutting down the project, but by modifying licensing and support terms to make it unreasonable for most companies to continue to use it.

Re:Won't stop Oracle

[Anonymous Coward]

100% crap. MSFT was trying to co-opt the entire language by using their monopoly clout. Google just forked.

Put another way, MSFT was trying to push their changes to affect the master, upon which all future pulls would inherently be affected by what they wanted/controlled.

Google just did a pull into a separate branch. No affect to the Java master.

Re:Won't stop Oracle

[X3J11]

MSFT rips off Java and creates a "kinda sorta Java" which they will use their large base to snatch control away from Java? BOOO. Google rips off Java and creates a "kinda sorta Java" which they will use their large base to snatch control away from Java? YAAY!

You should have gone with a more appropriate nick along the lines of hairyfootinmouth.

Google didn't "rip off" Java any more than C++ ripped off C, and the Dalvik VM is not competing with Oracle's Java. Oracle is claiming patent and copyright infringement. And Microsoft took Java and wanted to change it in ways that made it incompatible with the "real" Java, using their monopolistic hold on the PC operating system arena to ensure their dominance. You are comparing apples to orangutans.

Judging from the ignorance and idiocy of your post, it looks like you were simply trying to take a few jabs at Android users or looking for an excuse to use the word "fanboi" a couple times for no apparent good reason. It's also ironic that you belittle Google "fanbois" yet have a GMail address.

But IMHO being a douche is being a douche...

Pot, meet kettle.