Oracle clarifies $1.16bn claim against Google in Android case

Oracle has specified that it is seeking around $1.16bn in damages from Google over alleged copyright and patent infringements of Java in the Android operating system.

The claim is based on a report by Boston University business professor Iain Cockburn, who arrived at figures of $202m for the patent infringements and $960m for copyright infringements.

Google has claimed that the report is wrong and should not be submitted in the case, and has asked the judge to reject it.

However, in a letter from Oracle lawyer Steven Holtzman to judge William Alsup, seen by V3, Oracle urged the judge to deny Google's request, arguing that it is based on a misunderstanding of the figures.

"Google's request rests on mischaracterisations of professor Cockburn's report, this court's orders, and the law of damages. It should be denied," said the letter.

V3 contacted Google for comment but had received no reply at the time of publication.

Cockburn's findings have been a bone of contention in the case before. Google sought to undermine the credibility of his reports, arguing that they do not reflect the value of the software and how it is used.

The trial is due to begin on 31 October, after Judge Alsup ruled that Google could not have a summary judgement, a decision that was seen as a setback for Google.

Google and Oracle chief executives Larry Page and Larry Ellison met on Monday in an effort to prevent the long-running dispute going to court, but their efforts appear to have failed.