The highly publicised patent infringement trial between Oracle and Google is set to kick off today with jury selection.
The trial before US District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco is expected to last eight week and chief executives of Google and Oracle are expected to take the stand.
Alsup had told both companies last month that if they intended to settle the case, they should do it by 13 April at noon, in order to save potential jurors a trip to the courthouse. That deadline passed on Friday without any announcements.
Oracle sued Google in August 2010 over seven patents and copyright claims for the Java programming language, which Oracle acquired when it bought Sun Microsystems. According to Oracle, Google's Android operating system tramples on its intellectual property rights to Java.
Google says it doesn't violate Oracle's patents, and that Oracle cannot copyright certain parts of Java.
Early on, damages estimates ran as high as $6.1 billion. But Google has narrowed Oracle's claims so that only two patents remain, reducing the possible damages that could be awarded. Oracle is seeking roughly $1 billion in copyright damages.
Both Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Google CEO Larry Page are listed on Oracle's list of potential witnesses. Oracle said in a court filing on Sunday that it anticipated Ellison and Page would be among its first witnesses.
Ellison is no stranger to the courtroom, having testified in a 2010 trial involving copyright claims that Oracle brought against SAP.
The Oracle chief would testify about Oracle's reasons for acquiring Sun Microsystems, the importance of Java to Oracle's business, and the harm Android has caused Oracle, according to the witness list.
Page is a much more reclusive figure than Ellison. His testimony would include details about Google's business plan and marketing strategy for Android, including Google's recent acquisition of Motorola, the witness list shows.
The trial will be divided into three phases: copyright liability, patent claims and damages. Page could also testify about revenue and profit projections for Android, including advertising revenue, the witness list said.
The case in US District Court, Northern District of California, is Oracle America, Inc v. Google Inc, 10-3561.
-
Cleo attack victim list grows as Hertz confirms customer data stolenNews Hertz has confirmed it suffered a data breach as a result of the Cleo zero-day vulnerability in late 2024, with the car rental giant warning that customer data was stolen.
-
Lateral moves in tech: Why leaders should support employee mobilityIn-depth Encouraging staff to switch roles can have long-term benefits for skills in the tech sector
-
Organizations shift away from Oracle Java as pricing changes biteNews A survey from Azul Systems finds that, along with cost, customers cite a preference for open source and the threat of a Java usage audit
-
Why Java 17 growth is ‘exploding’News Java 17 is now the most popular LTS version, according to application data from New Relic, but what's driving this growth?
-
SuiteWorld 2023: NetSuite's day-two announcementsLive Blog Keep up-to-date with all the day-two announcements from NetSuite SuiteWorld 2023
-
Can Oracle really be Linux's knight in shining armor?Opinion The self-proclaimed champion of open source freedom would like you to forget about its history
-
Oracle’s Java subscription changes spark concerns over cost hikes for smaller businessesNews Smaller businesses could incur significant cost hikes as high as 1,400% with most new customers expected to pay at least double
-
Oracle to launch 14 new cloud regions over the next yearNews The company wants to support the demand for its customers as it looks to open at least two regions in each country it operates
-
Windows 11 has problems with Oracle VirtualBoxNews Microsoft confirms compatibility issues as new operating system makes its debut
-
Oracle plans $1.2 billion campus in Nashville, TennesseeNews The company is building ‘new digital hubs’ to meet demand for its cloud products
