Oracle and Google's Java patent infringement trial delayed

The long-awaited courtroom showdown between Oracle and Google over alleged Android patent infringements of Oracle-owned Java software has been postponed again, due to a criminal trial that will start the week before the two tech giants were due to meet.

Reports indicate that the judge in the case, William Alsup, has confirmed what had been widely expected since the "lengthy criminal trial" was first slated for 24 October, seven days before the Halloween date set for Oracle vs Google.

"Dates for the final pretrial conference and trial will be re-set in due course," read the judge's order.

IP analyst Florian Mueller explained that according to Alsup's previous statements on the matter, the trial may now be delayed considerably.

"According to the report, he would still like to ensure a near-term trial, but he can't preside over it personally," Mueller wrote in a blog post.

"The options he outlined include a near-term trial before a different judge and possibly a separate first trial on copyright."

A separate copyright trial would seem unlikely though given that Oracle is taking an "all or nothing" position on the scope of a trial, he added.

The two firms have been locked in a legal dispute for over a year now, with Larry Page and Larry Ellison even meeting in September to try to thrash out some kind of accord.