Gemalto lawsuit says Android violates Java patents

Gemalto late Monday sued the top companies behind Android phones for allegedly violating patents related to Java. The Texas-based lawsuit accused Google as well as HTC, Motorola and Samsung of infringing on technology Gemalto owns for running Java on low-footprint devices like phones. The Dalvik just-in-time Java engine inherent to Android 2.2 copies the earlier technology, Gemalto said.

While Google is the only one responsible for creating Dalvik, the phone designers were blamed for selling phones based on its code. Gemalto would have the companies' products banned without a royalty fee.

None of the involved companies have commented on the lawsuit.

The new case is the latest in a string of patent cases leveled either directly or by proxy at Android, including those from Apple, Oracle. Only the Oracle case has targeted Java, but all have claimed that Google is copying years-old software techniques.

Google has routinely tried to contend that its open-source projects, like WebM, are patent-free but has been accused by Apple and the MPEG-LA video group of confusing openness with patent immunity. Its WebM video standard has been pitched as a free alternative to the royalty-driven H.264 format but has already been threatened with possible lawsuits. [via Business 2.0]

By Electronista Staff

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patents, industry, software, Google, htc, Android, Motorola, Samsung, lawsuits, mobile phones, Gemalto, WebM