The long-running spat between Google and Oracle is in the news again this morning, with the two tech giants apparently heading back to court in San Francisco. The dispute - for those that have forgotten - concerns Oracle’s claim that Google used Java to develop Android but never paid for the appropriate licences for the programming language, which Oracle gained the rights to through its acquisition of Sun.
While much of Oracle’s claim and its $6bn in declared damages has been thrown out, it’s little surprise that Ellison and Co are back to slug it out with Google once again. But as we’ve said previously (see Oracle seeking up to $6.1b from Google in Java lawsuit), their motivation is not to cripple Google and by extension Android with damages or to assert their right, as would reportedly be possible if they won their case, to prevent sales of Android devices in the US. Rather this is about Oracle asserting its position as an industry titan and attempting to gain a share in the growth of Android. So a more likely outcome - if Oracle were successful - is that it would apply a Java licence fee to Android sales. That would not be great news for Google, nor for Android-committed manufacturers like Samsung, LG, HTC and Amazon, as they continue to fight against Apple in the smartphone and tablet market.
Renewed litigation over copyright also reminds us how patents and courtroom battles are intrinsic to the future of the tech industry. Which brings us back to the future of Nokia (see Nokia sinks), with its slumping share price and array of patents. The Finnish firm now has a market cap of $15bn, which is only a bit more than what Google paid for Motorola Mobility and its patents (see Google buys Motorola for $12.5bn).