Oracle, Google file list of paid journalists

A federal judge last week wrote that he was “concerned” Oracle and Google had paid journalists and bloggers to comment on their highly-publicized intellectual property trial and ordered them to provide a list of names. The responses are now in.

Oracle’s list is headed by patent propagandist, Florian Mueller, a long-time Microsoft consultant whose FOSS Patents blog regularly posts articles slanted against Google (see “Oracle Java patent rises like Phoenix from the ashes”). Mueller, who has no legal training, reportedly works with lawyers of his clients to issue authoritative-sounding pronouncements about patent cases.

Oracle and Mueller have attempted to defend the latter’s behavior by noting that Mueller issued a brief disclosure at the outset of the trial. Mueller did not, however, flag the conflict of interest in subsequent posts and typically does not disclose his affiliations when speaking to other media outlets. Oracle does state “Oracle retained him after he had begun write about this case; and that he was not retained to write about the case.”

Google’s filing says it did not pay anyone to report or comment on the case nor engage in any quid pro quo with those who did.

In addition to providing brief disclosures related to the trial, both sides appear to have used the submissions for strategic advantage.

Google uses its filing to describe its extensive contribution to universities and researchers, and to call attention to its transparency policies. The appendix to its filing includes a list of trade associations, non-profits and researchers to whom Google has given money.

Oracle uses the bulk of its response to accuse Google of skullduggery: “a network of “direct and indirect  “influencers” to advance Google’s intellectual property agenda. This network is extensive .”

Neither side offers any insight into the relationship between money and media.

Oracle lost the case that was dubbed “the World Series of IP” and the two sides are now fighting over costs.

Both filings are below.

Google Shill List

Oracle Shills

(Image by Iwona Grodzka via Shutterstock)



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