Software giant Oracle has objected to Google's Android chief Andy Rubin as negotiator, saying he is not senior enough to negotiate in the ongoing patent dispute.

After agreeing to undertake court-mediated talks to find a settlement and end the patent dispute, Oracle said Rubin wasn't senior enough and suitable to negotiate with its co-president Safra Catz.

In addition, Oracle pointed out that Mr. Rubin had been involved in the earlier failed private negotiations.

In a filing earlier this week, the software firm said, "Oracle believes the prospects for a successful mediation will be far greater if Google's executive-level representative is a superior to Mr. Rubin, who is the architect of Google's Android strategy - the strategy that gives rise to this case."

On the other hand, Google argued that Mr. Rubin had full knowledge of the issue, and was fully empowered to resolve the dispute. Google added that Mr. Rubin reports directly to Google chief executive Larry Page as Safra Catz do to Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison.

The legal battle between the two companies started in August last year, when Oracle alleged that internet search firm Google infringed on its patents in its use of the Java platform in Android.