The Java developer claims Google's Android system infringes intellectual property rights relating to the programming language.
Software engineers warn the case could set a worrying precedent.
'Write once, run anywhere'
Java was first released in 1995 and allows software to be run across computer platforms, rather than just being limited to one type of operating system.
Oracle - a business hardware and software provider - inherited the intellectual properties when it took over Java's original developer, Sun Microsystems, in 2009.
The language is used by many business applications as well as other software, such as the video game Minecraft, on PCs.
Oracle argues that by using its intellectual property, and then giving Android away for free, Google undermined the possibility of it licensing Java to mobile phone makers.
It adds: "Because Android exploits Java but is not fully compatible with it, Android represents Sun's, and now Oracle's, nightmare: an incompatible forking of the Java platform, which undermines the fundamental 'write once, run anywhere' premise of Java that is so critical to its value and appeal."
Interfaces
Much of the case does not centre on Google's use of Java itself - which is free for anyone to use without licence - but rather the Android-maker's use of 37 APIs (application programming interfaces) which allow developers to write Java-compatible code.
APIs allow different parts of a programme to communicate together as well as letting one application share content with another.
"APIs are the glue that allows computer programs to talk to each other - in this case Android apps use them to access the phone's features like its screen and memory," said Dan Crow, chief technology officer at Songkick and a former Google tech team leader.
He too adds that if Oracle wins the case and APIs are held to be copyrighted, then in theory, virtually every application - on Android, Mac OS, Windows, iPhone or any other platform - has to be at least re-released under new licence terms,
"This could result in many applications being withdrawn until their legality is resolved."
Written by thecodewhiz
Thecodewhiz is a tech savvy internet enthusiast,Designer,ICT Support Specialist, amatuer Dj and Photographer who loves sharing information.Find Technology tips and tricks and more here...
0 comments:
Post a Comment