US: Appeals court hands Oracle victory over Google in copyright case

A US appeals court on Tuesday resurrected a multi-billion dollar copyright case brought by Oracle against Google.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said Google’s use of Oracle’s Java development platform to create the Android operating system was not protected under the fair-use provision of copyright law, reversing a 2016 jury verdict.

The court sent the case back to a U.S. judge in San Francisco for a trial to determine how much compensation Google owes Oracle. Oracle had previously sought $9 billion in damages.

The dispute, which could have far-reaching implications for the entire software industry, has divided Silicon Valley for years between those who develop the code that makes software steps function and those who develop software programs and say their “fair use” of the code is an exception to copyright law.

“It’s a momentous decision on the issue of fair use,” lawyer Mark Schonfeld of Burns & Levinson in Boston, who’s been following the case and isn’t involved. “It is very, very important for the software industry. I think it’s going to go to the Supreme Courtbecause the Federal Circuit has made a very controversial decision.”

Full Content: Bloomberg

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