Thread: Oracle sues Google over Java patent infringement in Android
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Milhouse is offline Milhouse
2010-08-16 , 22:22
Posts: 3,401 | Thanked: 1,255 times | Joined on Nov 2005 @ London, UK
#70
Originally Posted by danramos View Post
I don't see that anywhere in the suit.
IANAL but I'd say it's the following copyright claim:

40. On information and belief, users of Android, including device manufacturers, must obtain and use copyrightable portions of the Java platform or works derived therefrom to manufacture and use functioning Android devices. Such use is not licensed. Google has thus induced, caused, and materially contributed to the infringing acts of others by encouraging, inducing, allowing and assisting others to use, copy, and distribute Oracle America’s copyrightable works, and works derived therefrom.
It seems to be saying that Google are inducing end users and device manufacturers to use copyrighted Oracle technology without an appropriate licence, ie. Java compilers, tools and documentation.

Originally Posted by danramos View Post
(Why compile to tokenized code just to covert to another tokenized code, seems an incredibly weird way for a compiler and development kit to work
Possibly two reasons:

1) Google need to convert existing classes from Java bytecode to Dalvik bytecode in order to simplify porting of existing Java apps and classes, hence the existence of the dx tool which takes a Java bytecode class and spits out a Dalvik bytecode class

2) Given the existence of dx, why go to the lengths of creating your own Java/Dalvik language compiler - just use an existing Java language compiler and bolt the dx tool on at the end to convert the newly generated Java bytecode into Dalvik bytecode. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Originally Posted by danramos View Post
also goes against the explanation that you need to recompile your code into Dalvik binaries.)
Which is a fairly ambiguous statement, to be honest. "Recompile" could describe precisely the function performed by the dx tool.

Unless anyone can state categorically that Google have their own clean-room Java language compiler which spits out Dalvik bytecode without generating intermediary Java bytecode I think Google may be on a slightly sticky wicket.

So far I've only seen evidence that confirms the intermediary bytecode approach.
Last edited by Milhouse; 2010-08-16 at 22:25.
 

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