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Submission + - Oracle Sues Google Over Android Patent Infringemen (pcmag.com)

quantumplacet writes: The terse, two-paragraph press release contained the following quote from Oracle spokeswoman Karen Tillman:

"In developing Android, Google knowingly, directly and repeatedly infringed Oracle's Java-related intellectual property. This lawsuit seeks appropriate remedies for their infringement."
Oracle has asked the court to enjoin Google from further acts of infringement, which would possibly bar Google from shipping its Android operating system. "Sun released their 'free java' source code under the GPLv2 to both win the free software crowd and capture peripheral innovation and bug fixing from the community," writes Stefano Mazzocchi, an application catalyst at Metaweb. "For the java standard edition (aka 'the cat is out of the bag') there is an exception to the GPLv2 that makes it "reciprocal" only for the Java platform code itself but not for the user code running on it (or most people wouldn't even dare touching it with a pole). "But such exception to the GPLv2 is not there for the mobile edition (aka 'where the money is'),"Mazzocchi added. "This brilliant move allows Sun to play 'free software paladin' on one hand and still enjoy complete control of the licensing and income creation for the Java ME platform on mobile and embedded devices on the other (because cell phone makers would rather pay than being forced to release all their code that runs on the phone under the GPLv2 or, in many cases, they can't even if they wanted to as they don't own the entire software stack),"

Comment Re:Time to repeat the brief love affair. (Score 4, Informative) 320

Did you play Civ IV? There absolutely was no "one true path" in that game. Particularly with all the expansions and on the hardest difficulty, you absolutely had to play to your particular civs strength, and trying to get different victory conditions with each of the different civs was always a challenge. On top of that, playing the same civ with a different leader could be a very different experience.

Comment Re:It's down to the cost of one disk? (Score 2, Informative) 551

Having spent more time than I'd care to think about digging through those backup DVDs for drivers, they generally only support one model, occasionally two or three. The reason there are so many drivers on the disc is because a given model usually has dozens of different configuration options, eg 4 or 5 different graphics cards, 3 or 4 different NICs, etc. However, each disc is usually locked to a single model, and does some sort of check that prevents it from running on any other model even if it has all the necessary drivers.

Comment Re:It's all just a money grab... (Score 1) 336

Well, you can Trademark it, but you'll have to actually make use of that trademark or you'll lose it, and if you do trademark it, the actual inventor will just use a different name. You could patent it, but you'll have to actually invent something to do that, which would be pretty cool, but probably not that easy. Or you could just be another whiny 15 year old bitching about "imaginary property" on the internet without even the slightest concept of how patents, copyrights and trademarks work.

Comment Re:Thats more porn... (Score 4, Funny) 247

Regrettably, it’s true. Standards have fallen in adult entertainment. It’s video, Dude. Now that we’re competing with the amateurs, we can’t afford to invest that little extra in story, production value, feeling.

Of course, you do get the good with the bad. The new technology permits us to do exciting things with interactive erotic software. Wave of the future, Dude. 100% electronic.

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