Google filed its response to a lawsuit from Oracle which alleged Java patent infringements in the Android platform, stating that it “specifically denies Google has infringed or is liable for infringement of any valid and enforceable claim of any patents asserted in this action by Oracle.” Reuters reports that Google believes that Oracle’s claims “fail to meet the pleading standards applicable to a claim of copyright infringement.” In a detailed document to the US District Court for Northern California, Google accused Oracle of hypocrisy, noting that it had previously stated that Java should be fully open-source – although these comments were made before it acquired Java patent holder Sun Microsystems.

Java is an integral part of the Android platform, and is used by developers to create applications which run on Android devices. The Oracle action covers a number of elements of the Android platform, including the Android SDK and the Dalvik virtual machine which is used to run apps. In its initial suit, Oracle said that it is seeking “appropriate remedies” for the infringements, although in its counter-filing Google notes that it “does not receive any payment, fee, royalty, or other remuneration for its contributions to the Android platform” – making it difficult to calculate damages. Google is calling for its costs and expenses to be met, along with “such other and further relief as this court may deem just and proper.” A recent survey from Appcelerator found that developers do not believe the Oracle action is harming the Android ecosystem, with a belief that both Google and Android have too much invested in the role of Java in Android to not settle the case.