Five Companies That Came To Win This Week

Oracle Lays Patent Infringement Smackdown On Google

Oracle dropped a bombshell this week by filing a lawsuit against Google for patent and copyright infringement related to its implementation of Java in Android.

"In developing Android, Google knowingly, directly and repeatedly infringed Oracle's Java-related intellectual property. This lawsuit seeks appropriate remedies for their infringement," said Oracle spokesperson Karen Tillman, in a statement.

Oracle picked up Java in its acquisition of Sun Microsystems earlier this year, and now appears ready to start siccing lawyers on those who would dare infringe on its intellectual property. Google called the suit "baseless" and described it as an attack on both Google and the open-source Java community.

Right or wrong, Oracle is bringing the fight to a competitor with a surging product. Get your popcorn ready, folks, because this one's going to be a doozy.

Symantec Gives Backup Exec A Channel Makeover

Hey, Symantec partners, remember those issues you were having with renewals? Well, Symantec just threw you a major frickin' bone with its refresh of Backup Exec 2010, which is chock-full of channel friendly goodness.

VARs will find it easier to install the Backup Exec 2010 software, and upsell new modules, according to Symantec. But the most attractive new feature is a renewal assistant tool that provides information on upcoming renewals and addresses what has been a main source of irritation for the channel.

"This is great to see -- Symantec really seems to have listened to partner feedback, taken it to heart, and made an honest effort to address some of the gaps in the renewal processes," said Daniel Duffy, CEO of Valley Network Solutions, Fresno, Calif., in a Thursday post to CRN Network.

Google Sharpens Cloud Focus With New Android, Apps Features

Google this week took the wraps off two new Android apps, Chrome to Phone and Voice Actions. Both apps use utilize Google's cloud infrastructure to deliver data and content to Android devices, and serve as examples of Google flexing its growing muscle in IT infrastructure.

Google also rolled out a new version of Google Apps Migration for Microsoft Exchange, a tool for migrating Exchange users to Google's cloud-based Apps platform.

This offering comes with a host of features designed to make it even easier for Google partners to lure customers out of their dark, dusty Exchange environments and into the benevolent, business enhancing light of the cloud.

RIM Continues To Resist Government Meddling

Research In Motion has been dealing with government demands for access to encrypted messages flowing through its business-focused Blackberry service for the past couple of weeks, and this week the firm continued to resist these calls.

RIM's stance isn't that it's unwilling to offer governments the ability to snoop on their citizens for crime-sniffing or any other purposes. The way the Blackberry service is designed means that no one -- not RIM, nor anyone else -- ever have access to customers' encrypted messages.

Unphased, the Indian government is giving RIM until the end of the month to provide this capability or face a shutdown of the Blackberry service in that country.

RIM says monitoring is only possible in the "context of lawful access and national security requirements as governed by the country's judicial oversight and rules of law."

If that's not a face-palm to meddling politicians, we don't know what is.

Paypal Going For The Android Payments Gusto

Google's Android Market isn't booming with the same level of activity as Apple's App Store, but given the astronomical growth of the OS it's just a matter of time before it does. eBay's Paypal subsidiary is reportedly in negotiations with Google to weave its payment mechanism into the Android OS.

This looks like a win-win situation: Paypal gets its foot in the door with Android users, and Google gets Paypal's massive reach and also makes it easier for Android developers to see the financial fruits of their creations.