Google CEO Larry Page tells court search engine ‘did nothing wrong’ by using Oracle-owned Java technology to develop Android

Google chief executive Larry Page returned to the witness box today to defend the leading search engine against allegations that it stole Java technology from Oracle.

Page, sporting a suit and tie, told the federal court in San Francisco that Google "did nothing wrong" by using Java to develop its Android operating system and that the company had been careful about what it did and didn't use to ensure it respected intellectual property rights, Bloomberg reported.

Oracle, a business software maker, has accused Google of breaching its copyrights and patents for Java in developing Android that now powers more than 300 million smartphones and tablet computers, according to the Los Angeles Times.

But Google says its use of the Java software was above board and Google engineers wrote original code for Android.

During his testimony on the third day of the trial that is expected to last 10 weeks, Page also said he was unsure whether Android was a critical asset to Google, according to CNET.

Oracle is seeking $1 billion in damages and a court order blocking distribution of Android unless Google pays for a license.

The Associated Press said Page often looked uncomfortable during his nearly hour-long grilling by Oracle lawyer David Boies, rarely looking at the counsel and frequently saying he couldn't remember seeing some of the internal Google documents that Oracle is relying on for its case.

Google last week posted a 24 percent rise in March quarter revenue to $10.65 billion, attributing the rise in part to “big bets” it’s placed on its Android and Chrome software, The Australian Financial Review reported.

Its net income hit $2.89 million for the quarter ended March 31, up from $1.8 billion a year earlier.

More from GlobalPost: FCC fines Google $25,000 for allegedly impeding Street View investigation
 

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