Oracle is seeking a whopping $9.3 billion in damages from Google over its continued use of Java in Android.
There have been so many high-profile tech-related court cases in recent years – Apple vs Samsung, Apple vs The FBI, Microsoft vs Everyone – that it’s easy to forget the ongoing dispute between Oracle and Google.
But make no mistake, the stakes are particularly high for this case. The six-year-old case revolves around Oracle’s assertion that Google should be paying a license fee for its use of portions of the Java programming language (which Oracle owns) in the core make-up of Android.
The jury couldn’t come to a decision in the 2012 trial between the two parties, but it’s all about to kick off again. Oracle will be seeking a staggering $9.3 billion in damages from Google when a new trial commences on May 9.
Uncovered court filings reveal the headline figure, which was apparently reached by a damages expert hired by Oracle. It’s roughly ten times bigger than the figure Oracle wanted at the time of the last trial, and it could be reduced before the trial commences.
So why the inflated figure? It’s simple, really: Android in 2016 is much, much bigger than it was in 2012. In fact, it’s the biggest OS in the world. The new trial will also cover six more versions of Android than that original case.
Related: Android vs iOS vs Windows 10 Mobile
There’s also the fact that the smartphone industry as a whole has rocketed over the past four years.
As PC World points out, Google will inevitably come to a much lower estimation of the damages Oracle may have incurred. Another recent filing suggests that this figure could be as low as $100 million.
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Even a figure somewhere in the middle would prove an expensive day in court for Google. But then, with parent company Alphabet making $4.9 billion in profit during the last quarter alone, we think they can afford it.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
