A statement issued by Oracle claimed Google "knowingly, directly and repeatedly" infringed Oracle's Java-related intellectual property.

Sun developed Java so that developers could write applications that could run on many different operating systems.

Oracle said the lawsuit seeks appropriate remedies for their infringement, but did not say whether the company is seeking to block use of Java or financial compensation.

The future of Java was a hotly debated topic after Oracle announced its intention to acquire Sun Microsystems, amid fears Oracle could increase licensing fees.

The lawsuit marks Oracle's first attempt to exert its rights over Java since it acquired Sun in January.

A Google spokesperson declined to comment, saying the company had not been issued with a copy of the patent and copyright lawsuit.

Google's fast-growing Android mobile operating system has overtaken Apple's iPhone OS, with 27% of US smartphones running Android compared with the iPhone's 23%.

Globally, Android overtook Apple's iOS in the second quarter of 2010 to become the third most popular smartphone OS behind Research in Motion (18%) and Symbian (41%), according to research firm Gartner.

Researcher iSuppli forecasts that Android will be running on almost 20% of all smartphones in the world by 2012.

Analysts predicted Oracle and Google would settle the case by agreeing to license each other's patents.

This article was first published by Computer Weekly