Ars Technica. Grocklaw, current, days earlier.
Oracle started demanding - suing for billions. Things are carved to millions, and going to trial.
At issue, Oracle's Java and Google's Android languages. Oracle wants to crimp Google's flexibility in the mobile device market. Google wants Larry Ellison to go away.
__________UPDATE__________
While telling only one side of the disputed story, Google's slides on what the litigation is about are online and amusing. This link, from Groklaw.
_________FURTHER UPDATE__________
Here, reporting which includes a link to visuals which Oracle prepared to tell its side of the story. That report indicates internal Google email to the effect that obtaining a Java license might be necessary. That could only mean necessary to assure insulation from a lawsuit by Oracle of the type now going on. Not that Android could not legally be done without Oracle's licensing permission, only that without licensing - in effect a contract to pay Oracle to not get sued by Oracle - litigation was possible which, litigation being what it is, could be won by Google or could be lost by Google. The only sure thing is a license, and then if a third party says "that's fine between the two of you but I have property rights," another license it or litigate it situation would arise. Email discussing a license is not a smoking gun unless some highly damaging language was used in the email.
