Schmidt Dons Sun Hat to Shield Google at Oracle-Java Trial
- Alphabet chairman recounts his history developing Java for Sun
- Database maker claims he knew he needed license for Android
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Alphabet Inc. Chairman Eric Schmidt’s experience negotiating on both sides over use of Java programming language makes him Google’s star defense witness in its $9.3 billion trial with Oracle Corp.
Google may be on its way to victory if it can convince a jury that the Sun Microsystems executives who pioneered Java in the 1990s, including Schmidt, never intended for the search engine giant to pay for using the language to develop Android into the world’s dominant mobile operating system.