The validity of another Oracle patent has become doubtful in the dispute with Google about the infringement of Java patents and copyrights on Android devices. The US Patent Office and Trademark Office (USPTO) has provisionally declared all 24 claims of patent number 6,125,447 as being invalid. The USPTO based its decision on a patent that had been used in another case. This patent was granted in 1994 – three years before Sun filed its Java patent application. The US patent office also considered two publications released in 1996 as evidence that Sun's described method for protecting applications via "protection domains" was anticipated by "prior art."

Oracle has taken Google to court over seven alleged Java patent infringements in the Android mobile operating system. The USPTO's latest decision has temporarily invalidated five of them fully or in part. Oracle can still comment on the decision and may, if required, appeal against the patent invalidation.

Attorney Scott Daniels, who specialises in examining US patents, speculates that the USPTO's decision may cause the lawsuit against Google to be postponed until all patents have been fully examined. This could also be in the interests of the presiding judge, who has already requested that the original claims be reduced to a limited number of patent claims. Oracle has demanded that Google pay $2.6 billion in damages.

(djwm)