Oracle: Google ‘directly copied’ our Java code

An amended version of Oracle’s Java lawsuit details Google’s alleged copyright infringement
By James Niccolai
IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)

SAN FRANCISCO (10/27/2010) – Oracle has updated its lawsuit against Google to allege that parts of its Android mobile phone software “directly copied” Oracle’s Java code.

Oracle filed a surprise lawsuit against Google in August, claiming portions of Google’s mobile OS platform infringe Java-related copyrights that Oracle acquired when it bought Sun Microsystems.

Oracle’s original lawsuit provided few details about the alleged infringement, but in an amended complaint filed Wednesday it gets more specific, providing examples of code attached as exhibits.

The complaint says Android includes infringing class libraries and documentation, and that “approximately one third of Android’s Application Programmer Interface (API) packages” are “derivative of Oracle’s copyrighted Java API packages” and related documents.

“The infringed elements of Oracle America’s copyrighted work include Java method and class names, definitions, organization, and parameters; the structure, organization and content of Java class libraries; and the content and organization of Java’s documentation,” Oracle says.

“In at least several instances, Android computer program code also was directly copied from copyrighted Oracle America code,” Oracle alleges.

Oracle also accuses Google of infringing several Java-related patents. Those charges appear unchanged from its original lawsuit.

Google didn’t immediately comment on the updated complaint. In the past it has called the charges a “baseless” attack on Google and the open source community and vowed to fight them.

Oracle is seeking an injunction to block the alleged use of its code and treble damages.