Google Beats Oracle on Copyright, Defeating $9 Billion Claim
Google won a jury verdict that ends Oracle’s claim to a $9 billion slice of the search giant’s Android phone business, reports The Washington Post.
“Oracle contended that Google needed a license to use its Java programming language to develop Android, the operating system in 80 percent of the world’s mobile devices,” writes . “Jurors in a federal court in San Francisco rejected that argument Thursday and concluded that Google made fair use of the code under copyright law.”
Stakes were high for Google. A loss could have given more weight to software copyrights and to spur litigation to protect those added rights. “Oracle — which started the trial at an advantage with the judge explaining that it had already been established that Google had infringed Oracle’s copyrights — plans to appeal, although legal experts said overturning a jury verdict will be difficult,” according to the report.
