To start, I'll say that I think Oracle has damaged their Java brand with their lawsuit. I have no idea how things will end up in courts, but that is another matter. What Oracle is accusing Google of having done is hardly comparable to what thousands of programmers, myself included, have done in thousands of Java projects over the years. I understand the skepticism and doubts about the direction of Java under Oracle's guidance, but I certainly don't have any fears about using Java as I have been.

I don't think Oracle particularly cares about the Java brand.

The Java brand was important to Sun because in recent years its value had eclipsed the value of the Sun brand, to the extent that they even renamed their stock ticker 'JAVA'. They poured resources into Java and Java-related projects because it was all that was keeping the ailing company relevant.

Oracle has no such problem with its brand. The company hasn't a great reputation as a philanthropist, and you have to look at what Oracle can get out of its ownership of Java. Those things are (a) exploiting the Intellectual Property, and (b) maintaining support for Oracle's own Java products.

Being a 'good steward of the language' is only important if it serves one of those two goals: i.e. if it improves Oracle's products, helps existing paying Java licensees, or creates opportunities for Oracle to license Java IP.

I'm not sure this is a healthy way for a programming language to be maintained.