Live data from Hacker News

Oracle wants $9.3B for Google’s use of Java in Android

computerworld.com

1–10 of 156 posts

Re: Oracle wants $9.3B for Google’s use of Java in Android

#5
afaik, the real issue is that the dalvik-vm is api compatible with oracle(sun)-jvm. iirc, api is not 'copyrightable' which seems to suggest that it might not be so good for oracle. but then again, cases like these depend a lot on proficiency of presiding judges. wasn't there an earlier judge, who learned some elementary programming while preparing for this case, and who ended up favoring google...

Re: Oracle wants $9.3B for Google’s use of Java in Android

#6
I was thoroughly impressed with the judge who presided over the last ruling -- IIRC he went so far as to learn at least the basics of Java to the point where I remember being impressed by the insight of the questions he posed. There are subsets of law one can specialize in ranging from medical malpractice to obscure patent litigation, but as far as I know there are no factors linking a presiding judge to a specific specialty. I really think other judges should follow the example he set and at least develop a core understanding in a similar fashion.

Edit: http://www.cand.uscourts.gov/wha/oraclevgoogle the original Alsup opinion

http://regmedia.co.uk/2014/05/09/oracle_google_appeal_opinio... The appeal opinion -- which, as it stands, rules that programming APIs are in fact copyrightable.

(Also, look at the list of counsel -- heavy hitters, damn.)

  Oracle appeals from the portion of the final judgment entered against it, and Google 
  cross-appeals from the portion of that same judgment entered in favor of Oracle as to
  the rangeCheck code and eight decompiled files. Because we conclude that the declaring
  code and the structure, sequence, and organization of the API packages are entitled
  to copyright protection, we reverse the district court’s copyrightability determination
  with instructions to reinstate the jury’s infringement finding as to the 37 Java
  packages. Because the jury deadlocked on fair use, we remand for further consideration
  of Google’s fair use defense in light of this decision.

Re: Oracle wants $9.3B for Google’s use of Java in Android

#7
This case seems unusual in the fact that the code in question was already free to use and fork under the terms of OpenJDK, so paying Oracle for a license was not the only alternative. How would one calculate damages relative to the scenario where Google simply used OpenJDK as they are doing now?

Re: Oracle wants $9.3B for Google’s use of Java in Android

#9

I was thoroughly impressed with the judge who presided over the last ruling -- IIRC he went so far as to learn at least the basics of Java to the point where I remember being impressed by the insight of the questions he posed. There are subsets of law one can specialize in ranging from medical malpractice to obscure patent litigation, but as far as I know there are no factors linking a presiding judge to a specific s…

Judge Alsup has a long history of handling technical cases. He's no dummy.

Re: Oracle wants $9.3B for Google’s use of Java in Android

#10

Will miss groklaw badly. Followed the previous time almost entirely on groklaw.

What is Pamela Jones doing nowadays? I understand her decision to shutdown groklaw because of govt spying but I can't help but think that, overall, it was a net loss for everyone involved.
Post reply on HN