Oracle picks patent fight with web firm

Oracle agrees to indemnify its customers against EpicRealm's patent infringement claims

Oracle has filed a legal claim against a web firm in an effort to invalidate two disputed patents that define the way dynamic web pages are served. 

The database giant is taking on EpicRealm, a former web acceleration company that stopped marketing and selling its products around three years ago.

EpicRealm filed lawsuits last year against a group of 13 companies including Safelite for allegedly infringing two of its patents that cover the way in which many dynamic web pages are constructed and delivered. 

Although Oracle is not directly targeted by any of the lawsuits, the company supplies software that delivers dynamic web pages.

Under the terms of its software licence agreement, Oracle agrees to indemnify its customers against EpicRealm's patent infringement claims.

Oracle and IBM were forced in June to contribute an undisclosed sum to Safelite's settlement with EpicRealm.

Following the settlement, Oracle filed its claim against EpicRealm on 30 June in the US District Court in Delaware.

The vendor denies that its technology infringes any of the EpicRealm patents, and argues furthermore that the disputed patents are invalid.

Oracle said in its legal complaint against EpicRealm that is seeking to prevent future claims or allegations.

"Oracle [has] a reasonable apprehension that EpicRealm will accuse Oracle, Oracle's products and/or Oracle's customers of infringing one or more of the EpicRealm patents, and/or additional Oracle customers will sue Oracle for indemnity as a result of EpicRealm's patent infringement claims," the company said.

The Oracle lawsuit could help the smaller firms being targeted by EpicRealm. Patent owners often go after small companies hoping that they will prefer to settle the case and avoid potentially high legal costs.

A lawyer representing FriendFinder, another defendant in the case, had previously accused EpicRealm of pursuing such a strategy. 

Oracle has the financial means to pursue its legal case to the end, however, which could result in the EpicRealm patents being invalidated.