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posted by janrinok on Wednesday March 28 2018, @05:06PM   Printer-friendly
from the all-change-again dept.

Oracle v. Google: Appeals Court Rules That Google Violated Oracle's Copyrights

A federal appeals court has ruled against Google in the Oracle v. Google legal war over the use of Java in Android. However, the case could move to the Supreme Court, a full panel of the appeals court judges, or to a third trial in district court:

An appeals court said on Tuesday that Google violated copyright laws when it used Oracle's open-source Java software to build the Android platform in 2009.

Tuesday's ruling is the latest development in a topsy-turvy eight-year battle between Google (GOOG) and Oracle (ORCL).

Oracle first brought its case against Google in 2010, claiming that Android infringes two patents that Oracle holds on its Java software, a ubiquitous programming language powering everything from phones to websites.

In 2012, a jury determined that Java does not deserve protection under copyright law. Two years later, an appeals court overturned the ruling, raising the question of whether Google's use of Oracle's API violated copyright law.

A jury determined in 2016 that Google's use of Oracle's APIs was legal under the copyright law's fair use doctrine, which allows the free use of copyrighted material under specific circumstances. Oracle appealed the decision, and a judge took its side on Tuesday.

Also at Bloomberg and The Verge.

Federal Circuit Sends Oracle v. Google Back for Third Trial

A while back Oracle sued Google various aspects of their clean-room Java reimplementation and Google initially won that back in 2012. However, appeals have dragged the case out. At issue now is whether APIs can be restricted under copyright.

The Federal Circuit has ruled for a second time in Oracle v. Google, the software copyright lawsuit over Google's Android platform. The new decision reverses the district court yet again and sends the case back for a third trial to determine damages for Oracle. In the last trial, Oracle sought almost $9 billion in damages.

The litigation has been dragging on for about eight years now, bouncing up and down through appeals and two whole jury trials. [...]

Obviously, whether APIs can soon be restricted by copyright would defeat the purpose of an API as well as have severe repercussions for all software development occuring in the US.

From The Verge : Federal Circuit sends Oracle v. Google back for third trial.


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday March 28 2018, @07:39PM

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Wednesday March 28 2018, @07:39PM (#659650) Journal

    +1 Funny 'cause that got an actual out-loud laugh out of me :) It would be hilarious, and entirely fitting, if that happened.

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