Those mails read to be self-inflicting, but as they were made by non-pro's if the legal game,
it is still open.

personal opinion:
IMHO anybody creating a clean room version of java should be bound to fulfill sun/oracle license terms.
then be allowed to show the cofee cup as well.
Anybody creating a new language called jaxa or lava should be free to implement part or all of the java API,
but also not copy code - some of the method signatures in java were in usage before as well.

regards

thomas

>I've read analysis by several IP attorneys on Oracle's claim and the concensus was that Google's in trouble because of the emails. They should intent to not license. Oracle has hired a very good IP attorney. David Boies represented the US government in the anti-trust case against Microsoft and has been involved with other high-profile cases.
>
>>They way I read it Google went the Dalvik route to circumvent Java licensing -
>>a manouver not expected by Sun, but from the things written before Oracle bought Sun
>>not outside the legal needs and rules - the Jonathan Schwartz line of reasoning.
>>
>>And from the J++/java fights I got the idea that Sun sometimes sat on a very high horse,
>>so circumventing via DAlvik meant not only license cost exchanged for developer cost
>>but also less people you have to please in the next releases. More important IMHO.
>>
>>A back alley manouver, to be sure, but the actual claims from the Oracle side are very weak
>>IMHO for such a big task as creating a whole family of mobile OS.
>>If the white room was not totally white - prove it with testimony and then slap on a heavy fine,
>>but for a couple of lines of millions, that can be mental carry over and should be worth only
>>a low amount of one time damage.
>>
>>Copyrigthing an API falls for me into an area similar to copyrigthing a language,
>>and that was deemed impossible right now at least in europe for SAS scripting again.
>>From Ashton-Tate times I had hoped such rules would have been kept alive in the US as well - dunno.
>>I read a few H ago that such copyrightabilty will be decided by the judge, if the jury decides Google copied.
>>
>>I confess to being sceptical on software patents and being probably less worried about Google than you -
>>I believe they should win this one, but should be slapped for the War driving issue.
>>"Trouble" is, no clear group of claimants so no lawyer pack for that issue.
>>And my belief is often not reflected in the actual verdict ;-)
>>
>>regards
>>
>>thomas