August 16, 2010 11:45 AM

MoFo, Boies Schiller Take Lead as Oracle Slaps Google With Patent Suit

Posted by Charlie Mead

David Boies, it appears, was able to parlay past work on behalf of a San Francisco yacht club into a key role in Oracle Corporation’s patent infringement suit against Google Inc., reports Susan Beck at sibling publication The Am Law Litigation Daily.

Boies will act as cocounsel to Oracle with Morrison & Foerster partner Michael Jacobs. While MoFo has represented Oracle on numerous matters, Beck writes, this marks Boies's first engagement with the Silicon Valley stalwart. Boies does, however, have a relationship with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, having represented the Golden Gate Yacht Club--where Ellison is a member-- in a protracted legal battle over where the 2010 America’s Cup race would be held (Boies won the case).

Beck notes that Boies and Jacobs have been adversaries before, squaring off against one another in the six-year dispute between SCO Group and Novell over copyrights to the UNIX operating system. Boies represented SCO; Jacobs prevailed in a trial this year on behalf of Novell.

Oracle's complaint, Beck reports, hinges on Google’s Android software that Oracle says infringes seven Java patents. No word on who is representing Google, which calls the lawsuit baseless.

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