Google and Oracle Disclose Few Paid Relationships for Trial

An August 7 order by judge William Alsup in the Google/Oracle Android-themed patent face-off has turned up few fish.

In an effort to weed out "authors, journalists, commenters, or bloggers" whose financial relationship with either company might come into play during any appeals following Oracle's (generally lost) lawsuit, both companies to disclose their paid relationships by August 17.

The date has come and gone, to few results. Oracle disclosed a total of two individuals: The previously known-about blogger Florian Mueller, author of the FOSS Patents blog who served as a consultant to Oracle, and Stanford University professor Paul Goldstein who assisted a law firm Oracle contracted.

Google disclosed a total of zero relationships.

"Neither Google nor its counsel has paid an author, journalist, commentator, or blogger to report or comment on any issues in this case," reads Google's brief. "And neither Google nor its counsel has been involved in any quid pro quo in exchange for coverage of, or articles about, the issues in this case."

However, Google's lawyers did ask Alsup for additional guidance regarding the many individuals with "indirect or attenuated financial connections" to Google who might have commented on the case in blogs, news reports, and other online areas.

"Google does not believe that individuals or organizations within these categories were intended to be encompassed within the scope of the Court's order but Google brings them to the Court's attention out of an abundance of caution," reads Google's brief.

While Google didn't specifically call out any of Oracle's relationships in its brief, the same could not be said for Oracle. In its brief, the company alleges that Google's "extensive network of influencers" worked to "shape public perceptions concerning the positions it was advocating throughout this trial."

The lawsuit, original filed by Oracle, claimed that Google violated Oracle's patents regarding the use of Java within Google's Android operating system. Oracle in the patent portion of the trial, and elected to ask for $0 in statutory damages for Google's confirmed use of nine lines of Oracle's Java code in the copyright portion of the trial.

The move was seen by many as a way to help Oracle speed itself toward an appeal, which the company has said is forthcoming.

 

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