Mobile phone users worry over the future of the Android
platform as Google and Oracle fight a high-profile turf war to
establish monopoly.
Android, the most popular
platform of mobile phone users across the world, is on fire. The ongoing
battle for control over the platform between two companies — Google and
Oracle — whose core business was not even remotely connected to the
world of mobile telephony till recently, are now battling in courts in
the U.S. to establish control over a platform that has always been
“open” to the wider community.
This case — and the
other ongoing dispute in courts across the world involving Apple,
Samsung and HTC — are seen by many as instances of giant companies using
IP (and more specifically, copyrights) to establish monopoly over what
logically should be competitive markets. Both sets of disputes are
instances of companies attempting to appropriate control over
“fundamental” ideas that actually belong to the wider community.
What it's about
The
Oracle-versus-Google fight is over the use of the Java programming
language in the Android platform, which was initially promoted by
Google.
The gathering pace of acquisitions by large
IT corporations, aiming to build arsenals of IP rights to establish
monopoly over large swathes of technological space, is fraught with
serious consequences.
Ironically, Oracle, which is
seeking outright control over Java, was not even in the picture when
Java, which is used in a range of platforms, was being developed by Sun
Microsystems.
Soon after Oracle bought Sun
Microsystems in 2010, it stopped supporting the Openoffice.org project,
which was an alternative to the proprietary office suite.
Although
Java was a Sun Microsystems project, it has been Free and Open Source
with most of the technologies licensed under the GNU General Public
License. This helped the Java developer community to contribute towards
making it one of the most versatile programming languages used in a
range of platforms for varied applications.
Java
applications are compiled to work on Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which
enables application developers to develop applications just once, which
could then run on any platform. This inherent trait of “write once, run
anywhere” has been the most important aspect of Java's success, with
more than 10 million users.
Oracle is suing Google
for infringement of its copyrights on the Java programming language,
specifically, for the use of various Java Application Programming
Interfaces (APIs).
APIs are code-based
specification, more in the nature of design elements used to prescribe
the interaction between various software components. In essence, APIs
are software-to-software interfaces, enabling applications to
communicate with one another for sharing services without user
intervention.
Oracle is also suing Google for
infringement of seven patents. It has also alleged that the virtual
machine ware used in Android, Dalvik VM, uses Oracles's copyrighted
content.
Google's defence
Google defends
itself, claiming it has only used Open Source technology to develop the
Android platform. It maintains that it has not infringed any of the
copyrights or patents on Java.
It is not mere
coincidence that Oracle, after falling flat in its own attempt at
entering the smartphone market (it tried buying Palm and BlackBerry
maker Research In Motion), is now suing Google for infringing IP.
Unfortunately for Google, Sun Microsystems, which had openly sanctioned
the use of Java for Android, now has another master who does not have a
track record of a close association with the Open Source community as
its old owner, Sun.
K. Gopinath, professor, Computer
Science and Automation Department, Indian Institute of Science, says:
“Expression of ideas can be copyrighted but not the ideas themselves.
What Oracle is now trying to do by claiming copyright over Java APIs is
in effect trying to copyright ideas.”
Android's future
With
the tech titans fighting over IP, the thriving Android platform is in
danger of being suffocated to death. If Google were to lose this
lawsuit, then the terms of distributing Android will have to be changed
to accommodate inherent support to Oracle's Java, which currently is not
wholly possible with the Android releases. This will mean that
applications built for Android cannot directly be run on Java platforms,
although Android itself is based on Java.
Oracle perhaps fears that Google's modified Java may render the native Java obsolete.
To
bring about full compatibility to native Java, the Android platform and
the applications running on it will need to incorporate extensive
changes, which might retard the development and hamper the Open Source
ecosystem built around the Android platform.
Software development
Beyond
the impact on Google's Android, the bigger threat this trial poses is
to the software development ecosystem. Until now, there have been very
few attempts to copyright entire computer programming languages.
Hitherto, copyrighting only specifics such as libraries or
standardisation of software interfaces have been possible.
The
mind boggles at the consequences of an Oracle win. If it becomes
acceptable to ring-fence ideas in software, the notion that concepts in
mathematics can be copyrighted would only be a small step away. This
case, therefore, is not merely about the interests of corporations or
consumers but about the much bigger question of how humankind acquires
and builds a body of knowledge. It would be a pity if this were to be
sacrificed at the alter of profit.