This is big: Oracle claims Android violates its Java patents, sues Google

Enterprise computer company Oracle has filed a lawsuit against Google for patent and copyright infringement related to Java and Android.

"In developing Android, Google knowingly, directly and repeatedly infringed Oracle's Java-related intellectual property. This lawsuit seeks appropriate remedies for their infringement," Oracle spokesperson Karen Tillman said in a brief statement Thursday evening.

The complaint claims that Android violates the following seven patents for Java technology which Oracle obtained when it acquired Sun Microsystems in 2009.

6,125,447: "Protection domains to provide security in a computer system,"

6,192,476: "Controlling access to a resource,"

5,966,702: "Method and apparatus for pre-processing and packaging class files,"

7,426,720: "System and method for dynamic preloading of classes through memory space cloning of a master runtime system process,"

RE38,104: "Method and apparatus for resolving data references in generated code,"

6,910,205: "Interpreting functions utilizing a hybrid of virtual and native machine instructions,"

6,061,520: "Method and system for performing static initialization."

Android is based on a Java Virtual Machine known as Dalvik, which was built by Dan Bornstein. Dalvik takes the generated Java class files and combines them into one or more Dalvik Executable files, known as .dex files. However, once the code reaches its final executable stage, it is not based on Java bytecode, but instead upon these .dex files.

In its complaint in the Northern District Court of California Thursday, Oracle asked for a jury trial, which could result in an injunction on infringing software, and damages for any profits Google has made off of Android.

Though Google has not issued a statement about the complaint, Tim Bray, formerly Sun's director of Web Technologies, and current Android Developer Advocate at Google had a direct and colorful response for Oracle on Twitter Thursday evening.

On Friday, Google issued a brief response to Oracle's equally brief lawsuit announcement put forth the day before.

"We are disappointed Oracle has chosen to attack both Google and the open-source Java community with this baseless lawsuit. The open-source Java community goes beyond any one corporation and works every day to make the web a better place. We will strongly defend open-source standards and will continue to work with the industry to develop the Android platform," Google's statement to the media said.