Oracle wants to question Google CEO Larry Page on Android

By Geoff Duncan July 15, 2011

Oracle’s patent infringement claims against Google over the Dalvik virtual machine built into the Android operating system continues to escalate, with Oracle submitting a request to the judge in the case to depose current Google CEO Larry Page. Oracle argues questioning page is germane because Page participated in negotiations between Google and Sun (now owned by Oracle) over a license to use Java technology in Android. Further, Oracle asserts that Page, as a Google co-founder and senior exec, may have made the decision for Google to acquire made the decision to acquire Android back in 2005.

The filing seems to have first been reported by FOSS Patents.

Oracle’s request to depose Page comes towards the end of the discovery period of the case. Oracle has already deposed Android co-founder and Google’s current Android VP Andy Rubin. In the same document, Google characterizes Oracle’s request to depose Page as amounting to harassment, claiming that any testimony by Page would essentially duplicate testimony from other witnesses, such as Rubin. However, some industry watchers believe Oracle’s request may succeed, the judge in charge of the case has displayed interest in Page’s role in Java licensing negotiations with Sun.

Oracle also wants to depose selected former Google employees who worked on Android, as well as Tim Lindholm, a former Sun employee who currently works on Android.

Earlier this month, Google requested to depose Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.

Oracle is seeking some $2.6 billion from Google for alleged infringement on Java technologies in the Android operating system. Google has maintained that the virtual machine included with Android is distinct from the Java VM Oracle acquired with Sun Microsystems, and does not infringe on Oracle’s patents.

Topics

Google

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Mobile

AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Mobile

Motorola is selling unlocked smartphones for just $150 today

Someone holding the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Have you been looking for phone deals but don’t want to spend a ton of money on flagship devices from Apple and Samsung? Have you ever considered investing in an unlocked Motorola? For a limited time, the company is offering a $100 markdown on the Motorola Moto G 5G. It can be yours for just $150, and your days and nights of phone-shopping will finally be over!

Why you should buy the Motorola Moto G 5G
Powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Moto G delivers exceptional performance across the board. From UI navigation to apps, games, and camera functions, you can expect fast load times, next to no buffering, and smooth animations. You’ll also get up to 128GB of internal storage that you’ll be able to use for photos, videos, music, and any other mobile content you can store locally.

Mobile

The Nokia 3210 is the worst phone I’ve used in 2024

A person holding the Nokia 3210, showing the screen.

Where do I even start with the Nokia 3210? Not the original, which was one of the coolest phones to own back in a time when Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace wasn’t even a thing, but the latest 2024 reissue that has come along to save us all from digital overload, the horror of social media, and the endless distraction that is the modern smartphone.

Except behind this facade of marketing-friendly do-goodery hides a weapon of torture, a device so foul that I’d rather sit through multiple showings of Jar Jar Binks and the gang hopelessly trying to bring back the magic of A New Hope than use it.
The Nokia 3210 really is that bad