Google has reiterated that it has not paid any authors, journalists, commentators, or bloggers to report or comment on its legal battle with Oracle over the Android mobile operating system.
But in response to an order from the judge presiding over the case, the web giant has provided a list of individuals and groups who have commented on the case and have received money from the company, including Google attorney William Patry, Java creator James Gosling, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
"Pursuant to the [judge's order], the required disclosure does not include advertising revenue, disclosed experts, or gifts to universities," Google said in a court filing on Friday. "It does, however, include 'all commenters known by Google to have received payments as consultants, contractors, vendors, or employees' and employee-commenters at organizations who receive money from Google."
Two weeks ago, Judge William Alsup ordered both Google and Oracle to name anyone who was paid to comment on the case -- an unusual request. A week later, Oracle responded to the order, saying that it was paying one blogger who comments on the case -- Florian Mueller -- and Google said it had paid no one to comment.
But in its filing, Oracle accused Google of heavily influencing the ongoing debate over intellectual property, which sits at the heart of the case. "Google maintains a network of direct and indirect ‘influencers’ to advance Google’s intellectual property agenda," Oracle wrote. "The network is extensive, including attorneys, lobbyists, trade associations, academics, and bloggers."
Oracle named two of these alleged "influencers": Ed Black, who oversees the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), and Jonathan Band, a lobbyist who counts the CCIA as a client.
Brand distanced himself from this claim. "Oracle until recently also was a member of CCIA," he told us at the time. "I do not represent Google." But Judge Alsup later ordered Google to provide additional information about commenters on the case who receive money from the company.
Google had said in its original filing that it would be "perhaps impossible" to identify everyone associated with organizations that receive money from the company, because many bloggers generate revenue through Google's AdSense online advertising program and because the company gives money to various universities, contractors, nonprofits, and public policy groups. But on Friday, it provided a list of seven individuals and six organizations who have commented on the case and have received money from Google.
Google's filing lists the CCIA and Jonathan Brand, but it says Oracle falsely accused both of being influenced by Google money. Likewise, Google says that every other person and organization on the list was not paid to comment on the case. "I think [the filing] pretty much speaks for itself," said Google spokesman Jim Prosser.
Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger declined to comment.
In 2010, after acquiring Sun Microsystems, the maker of the Java programming language, Oracle sued Google, claiming that the search giant had infringed on its Java-related patents and copyrights in building the Android mobile operating system. Among other things, Oracle argued that Google had violated its intellectual property in cloning 37 application programming interfaces, or APIs, that allow applications to talk to the Java platform.
Though the jury found in favor of Oracle on some matters, the software giant pretty much lost the case, and it has vowed to appeal.
