SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Oracle and Google faced off in court in San Francisco on Monday.
The
dispute hinges on Oracle’s allegations that Google’s widely used
Android software for mobile devices infringes on copyrights and patents
that Oracle acquired when it bought Sun Microsystems Inc. for $7.3
billion in 2010. The technology in question is Java, a programming
language that has been around since the 1990s.
Oracle
Corp., a business software maker with $36 billion in annual revenue, is
seeking hundreds of millions in damages. It acquired the rights to Java
when it bought Sun Microsystems for $7.3 billion in 2010.
Oracle
intends to rely heavily on Google’s own internal emails to prove
Google’s top executives knew they were stealing a popular piece of
technology to build the Android software that now powers more than 300
million smartphones and tablet computers.
Oracle’s
strategy emerged Monday as one of the company’s lawyers kicked off the
opening phase of a lengthy trial pitting two Silicon Valley powerhouses.
Google
Inc., which relies on its dominance of Internet search and advertising
for most of its $38 billion in annual revenue, believes it won’t have to
pay more than a few million dollars.
The
jury trial before U.S. District Judge William Alsup has been separated
into three different phases covering copyright claims, patent claims and
damages. The final phase won’t be necessary if Google prevails in its
defense against the allegations of copyright and patent infringement.
Each
phase is supposed to last two weeks, although Alsup has allotted eight
weeks for the entire trial in case there are unexpected delays or other
twists. The first phase covering copyrights is likely to be the most
important. Oracle is seeking several hundred million dollars in damages
for the alleged copyright infringement on some of Java’s programming
features.
Google
CEO Larry Page and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, a pair of
multibillionaires whose innovations have reshaped the world, are each
expected to testify during the opening phase.
Jury
selection begins Monday. Alsup has told the parties that opening
statements and possibly the first witness could come Monday as well.
Google lawyers will make their opening statements Tuesday.
Source: The Associated Press
