Oracle

Oracle appeal in Google API copyright suit hit with criticism

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is throwing in its two cents in the ongoing legal battle between Oracle and Google over whether APIs should or shouldn't be copyrightable.

Gathering together 32 computer scientists and tech industry leaders, the Internet advocacy organization submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Thursday. The brief is signed by tech leaders like MS-DOS author Tim Paterson and ARPANET developer Larry Roberts.

EFF and the brief's signatories are trying to convince the court that APIs should not be copyrightable because they are critical to spurring innovation … Read more

Oracle preps 128 security patches; Java gets 42

Oracle will release today 128 fixes for security vulnerabilities that affect "hundreds" of its products.

The software giant and Java maker said in a pre-release announcement today that four of the patches include fixes for Oracle's flagship database product, which can be exploited remotely without the need for a username or password.

Also, 29 security fixes will arrive for Oracle Fusion Middleware, with 22 of these also for preventing attacks without the need for authentication.

Affected components include Oracle HTTP Server, JRockit, WebCenter, and WebLogic.

Both Oracle products have a common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) rating of … Read more

Oracle's third quarter misses on many fronts

Oracle's third quarter earnings had a big buildup but fell short of analysts' expectations amid currency fluctuations and a sales shortfall in most units.

The company reported third quarter earnings of $2.5 billion, or 52 cents a share, on revenue of $8.96 billion, down 1 percent from a year ago. Non-GAAP earnings were 65 cents a share.

Wall Street was looking for earnings of 66 cents a share on revenue of $9.38 billion.

In a statement, Oracle largely blamed currency fluctuations. A stronger U.S. dollar hurt reported revenue. However, even with constant currency Oracle's … Read more

Silicon Valley execs press D.C. on immigration law fixes

Silicon Valley firms are presenting a rare united front in an effort to end a political logjam that has blocked high-tech immigration reform.

In an unusual show of support that underscores how important the topic has become, executives from Facebook, Google, eBay and other major tech companies sent a letter today to President Obama and congressional leaders asking them to fix immigration law by the end of 2013. The current system is broken, they say, blaming visa shortages, long waits for green cards, and difficulties bringing spouses and children to the United States.

"Because our current immigration system is … Read more

Oracle issues emergency Java update to patch vulnerabilities

In response to discovering that hackers were actively exploiting two vulnerabilities in Java running in Web browsers, Oracle has released an emergency patch that it says should deal with the problem.

"These vulnerabilities may be remotely exploitable without authentication, i.e., they may be exploited over a network without the need for a username and password," Oracle wrote in a security alert today. "For an exploit to be successful, an unsuspecting user running an affected release in a browser must visit a malicious web page that leverages these vulnerabilities. Successful exploits can impact the availability, integrity, and … Read more

Microsoft to back Oracle in Java case against Google -- report

The legal war between Oracle and Google has been rather muted for the last several months, but there could be a major new twist in the case.

Reuters has reported that legal representatives for Microsoft told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in a briefing yesterday that it would support Oracle.

We reached out to Oracle to confirm, but the Redwood Shores, Calif.-based corporation declined to comment.

Not many more details are available at this time, but it would seemingly line up with Microsoft's other patent-related lawsuits against Motorola Mobility, now a Google subsidiary. … Read more

Oracle: The judge was wrong in our case with Google

Despite losing its infringement battle with Google, Oracle is still willing to wage a war over an earlier ruling in the matter.

The company earlier this week filed an appeals brief with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, saying that Google's use of Java in Android was "decidedly unfair," according to Reuters, which obtained a copy of the filing. Oracle said that copyright is designed to protect all kinds of works, including "a short poem or even a Chinese menu," but what it created in Java was "vastly more original, creative, and labor-intensive.&… Read more

Oracle to pay $1.7B for network service provider Acme Packet

Oracle said today that it has agreed to buy Acme Packet for $1.7 billion.

Acme Packet sells voice and data products and services used across IP networks. Its customers range from telecommunications providers to large enterprises and include 90 of the world's top 100 communications firms, according to Oracle.

The addition of Acme is expected to help Oracle customers ramp up the move to all-IP networks. Together with Acme, Oracle will be able to offer a range of products and technologies that can support large companies as they deploy their IP networks.

All-IP networks are increasingly being rolled … Read more

Oracle pushes out new Java update to patch security holes

Oracle has rushed out a new Java security patch designed to plug up a range of holes in the software.

The February Critical Patch Update for Java SE addresses 50 security vulnerabilities, 44 of which affect the use of Java as a plug-in for Web browers, according to an Oracle blog posted Friday. If not properly patched, the plug-in could open the door for attackers to remotely execute code on a PC or Mac by directing users to malicious Web sites.

"The popularity of the Java Runtime Environment in desktop browsers, and the fact that Java in browsers is … Read more

Homeland Security still advises disabling Java, even after update

Despite an emergency software update issued yesterday by Oracle, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is still advising computer users to disable Java on their Web browsers, fearing that an unpatched vulnerability remains.

Oracle released a software update on Sunday to address a critical vulnerability in Oracle's Java 7 after the DHS' Computer Emergency Readiness Team issued an advisory last week recommending users disable the cross-platform plugin on systems where it was installed. The flaw could allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code when a vulnerable computer visits a Web site that hosts malicious code designed … Read more