Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • IT Management
    • Servers

    Google Dinged for $5M in Bedrock Linux Patent Case

    By
    Clint Boulton
    -
    April 23, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Google must pay $5 million in damages for infringing on a Linux patent owned by defunct company Bedrock Computer Technologies LLC, according to a jury verdict in the Eastern District of Texas court April 15.

      The patent is for methods and apparatus for information storage and retrieval using a hashing technique with external chaining and on-the-fly removal of expired data.

      Bedrock-which filed its patent-infringement suit in 2009 against Google, Yahoo, MySpace, Amazon.com, PayPal and others-successfully argued that Google violated its patent by using its linked list storage, search and information-retrieval technology in Linux servers.

      Patent analyst Florian Mueller said Bedrock identified its patented technology in a portion of the Linux kernel. Google and many other Internet companies use this technology in Linux servers housed in their data centers.

      Google took a defiant position in a statement e-mailed to eWEEK April 21, vowing to continue to defend against such attacks on the open-source community.

      “The recent explosion in patent litigation is turning the world’s information highway into a toll road, forcing companies to spend millions and millions of dollars defending old, questionable patent claims, and wasting resources that would be much better spent investing in new technologies for users and creating jobs,” Google said.

      Google can presume to be also referring to Oracle’s current patent infringement lawsuit against the search giant, in which the software maker accused Google of infringing seven Java patents and other copyrights.

      To wit, while the $5 million payout to Bedrock is a drop in the bucket for a company with $36.7 billion in cash, Mueller believes this verdict could have greater implications for Google’s Linux-based Android operating system.

      He suggested Google might have to modify the Linux kernel it distributes with Android in order to remove any infringing code that Android applications might use.

      “More generally, this doesn’t bode well for the 41 Android-related patent-infringement suits that are going on at this stage,” Mueller wrote. “For example, if Google can’t defend itself successfully against one patent held by a little non-practicing entity from Texas, what does this mean for Oracle’s lawsuit over seven virtual machine patents?”

      Open-source pundit Steven Vaughan-Nichols disagreed, arguing that the patent verdict was a “bad patent decision” by a court district prone to being friendly to patent trolls that patent technologies, and lie and wait for other companies to use the technology.

      He urged Google to appeal. Bedrock, meanwhile, has called for an injunction against Google to stop it from using its software in its Linux servers.

      Clint Boulton

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×