Oracle says that it had to give Amazon a 97.5 percent discount just to stay competitive with Google

Oracle co-CEO Safra Catz says that it's been forced to give customers like Amazon and Samsung massive discounts just to keep its Java technology competitive with Google's free Android operating system.

For instance, she says, Oracle had to give Amazon a 97.5% discount on Java so they'd use it instead of Android to power the Kindle Paperwhite device.

Similarly, she testified, "companies like Samsung that would have licensed a $40 million product were now licensing $1 million."

Catz revealed these details of Oracle's business during her testimony today in the company's ongoing lawsuit against Google. It was reported by Electronic Frontier Foundation Director of Copyright Activism Parker Higgins via Twitter.

At the heart of Oracle's lawsuit is the allegation that Google improperly used pieces of the hugely important Java technology in Android without paying properly for the privilege.

Google argues that the way it used Java constitutes "fair use," and that it's impossible to copyright the pieces of Java which it put into Android.

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