Oracle's IP war against Google finally going to trial
Nearly two years ago, Oracle went to court and accused Google's Android team of infringing patents and copyrights related to the Java programming language. After about 900 motions and filings, and legal fees that are undoubtedly mind-boggling, the trial will finally get started this week. Android has faced many legal challenges, but this is easily one of the most significant, and one of the only ones targeting Google itself rather than the company's hardware partners.
With Oracle demanding royalties from Android revenue, a ruling in its favor could raise the price consumers have to pay for Android devices. An Oracle win could also force Google to design around the patents asserted by Oracle, perhaps limiting Android's functionality. Jury selection will take place Monday, and the trial proper is scheduled to begin later in the day Monday, or Tuesday. Let's take a look at what's happened so far, and what's next in this crucial trial for Android, the world's largest-selling smartphone operating system.
