AllThingsD » mobile software

Still Stuck: Oracle-Google Trial Jury Has NO Partial Verdict

Arik Hesseldahl — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:05:37 +0000

Published reports say the jury in the Oracle-Google trial over Java has come back with a partial verdict. I’ve just heard that these reports are incorrect.

Jurors have reached no conclusion in the case and Judge William Alsup has sent them home for the weekend with instructions to try again on Monday.

The jury had indicated Thursday in a note to Alsup that it was stuck on some point. Alsup warned lawyers for both sides that they might have to prepare for a deadlocked jury. Obviously, the situation here is fluid. I’ll have more in this post as it comes in.

There are four questions the jurors are tasked to answer, and they’re said to be unanimously agreed on three of them, but unable to reach consensus on the fourth, though its unclear which are which.

For what its worth, below is the form with the four questions the jurors have to answer.

Jury Questions

Ellison Takes the Stand Against Google Today in Java Trial

Arik Hesseldahl — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:08:07 +0000

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison will take the witness stand today in his company’s lawsuit against the search giant Google. In what has been described as the World Series of intellectual property lawsuits, Ellison will be examined by Oracle lawyers in the case, in which Oracle has accused Google of infringing both patents and copyrights on Java while it was working to create the Android mobile operating system.

Ellison’s testimony will come after Oracle lawyers make their opening arguments. You can get a pretty good idea of what they’re going to say from this 91-page PDF posted overnight to the Oracle Web site.

Oracle sued Google in 2010, alleging that the Android mobile operating system violated seven different Java patents. Five of those patents have since been tossed out since they were reexamined, leaving two. That reduces the potential amount of damages Oracle might be entitled to should it prevail. Google offered Oracle a share of Android revenue and $2.8 million in damages in the event that it prevails; Oracle declined. Oracle has also accused Google of infringing copyrights on Java APIs.

Google has denied the infringement claims, and is expected to argue that Java APIs can’t be protected by copyright because they’re more akin to programming languages. Software developers everywhere are paying close attention to this part of the trial.

IBM Acquires Israeli Mobile Software Player Worklight

Arik Hesseldahl — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:35:46 +0000

IBM said today it had reached a deal to acquire Worklight, a privately held Israeli mobile software company. Terms weren’t disclosed, but at least one report put the deal at $70 million. IBM said 75 percent of CIOs it had recently surveyed considered spending on mobile devices and software a priority.

Ballmer's Guide to iPhone Usage at Microsoft

Nick Wingfield — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:38:44 +0000

It’s no secret to anyone at Microsoft (MSFT) that more than a few employees tote around iPhones in their pockets. Some staffers make little effort to hide the Apple (AAPL) device, while others seem to treat the iPhone a bit like a flask of whisky–a secret, irresistible source of shame.

Of the unspoken rules among Microsoft employees about using iPhones, it’s fair to say this could be second from the top: don’t show it to company CEO Steve Ballmer, who has made turning around Microsoft’s own flagging mobile-software efforts an important priority at the company. And whatever you do, don’t attempt to take a photo of Mr. Ballmer with your iPhone in front of a stadium full of Microsoft employees at the all-company meeting.

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