Oracle thought about building its own smartphone in 2009, and considered buying Palm or Research in Motion to do so, according to testimony in the Google-Oracle patent infringement case that started yesterday.
Google lawyer Bob Van Nest said that Oracle wanted to make a smartphone but lacked the expertise to do so, according to the International Business Times.
Larry Ellison also testified that Oracle considered buying Palm in 2009, but realized that its WebOS was not competitive, and thought Research In Motion was too expensive, according to tweets from CNBC’s Jon Fortt, who is covering the trial from the courtroom.
Ellison also testified that they explored making a Java smartphone, but eventually decided it would be a bad idea.
The trial hinges on whether Google’s Android smartphone platform violates a couple of Oracle patents, which Oracle gained in its 2009 acquisition of Sun Microsystems. Android is based in part on Java, which Sun owned. Google also admits that it copied a few lines of code from Java into the Android source code.
Oracle first sued Google over the matter back in 2010, and the two companies tried to settle, but earlier this month the judge ordered the case to go to trial.
The trial started yesterday, and Ellison testified this morning.
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[Re-blogged from Larry Ellison Considered Buying Palm Or RIM To Build Oracle Smartphone (ORCL, HPQ, RIMM) - All content ownership belongs to them, I am simply sharing it with you.]