Google beats Oracle in Java copyright case

Google has emerged victorious from a legal battle with Oracle that could have seen the company on the hook for $9 billion in damages for alleged copyright infringement within its Android platform.

Oracle has been dogging Google's heels for years, claiming that the company breached copyright and patent law when it implemented various Java application programming interfaces (APIs) in its Android operating system - APIs Oracle held following its acquisition of Sun Microsystems. Google has long stated that its use of said APIs falls under fair use doctrine in the US, but Oracle was eager to see what a court would say - and a federal jury has finally weighed in: Google's off the hook.

Agreeing with Google's argument that its re-implementation of the APIs constitutes fair use, the jury has claimed there is no case to answer for the advertising giant. Oracle, naturally, has announced that it isn't giving up and will appeal the ruling: 'We strongly believe that Google developed Android by illegally copying core Java technology to rush into the mobile device market,' general counsel Dorian Daley told press in a prepared statement. 'Oracle brought this lawsuit to put a stop to Google's illegal behavior.'

Google, meanwhile, is happy. 'Today's verdict that Android makes fair use of Java APIs represents a win for the Android ecosystem, for the Java programming community, and for software developers who rely on open and free programming languages to build innovative consumer products,' an unnamed spokesperson told Ars Technica via email.