Judge to Google, Oracle: Name Journos You're Paying

The jury gave its verdict nearly three months ago in the Oracle-Google copyright and patent case, but today the judge ordered both companies to 'fess up and list all the bloggers, journalists, and other commentators on their payrolls, reports Reuters. The judge did not say much, aside from that the information "would be of use on appeal." But experts say that the judge probably suspects the jury was swayed by press coverage of the case or did not realize that certain evidence was biased.

One well-known tech blogger revealed that he was on the Oracle payroll as a consultant three days into the trial, and Oracle claims that it is open about its pay-for-play relationships. Google said it would also comply with the order. "I haven't seen anything quite like this before. I think the judge is in uncharted territory with this order," said a professor of Internet law. There's also a possibility the judge could order a retrial, but observers said that was extremely unlikely. (More Google stories.)