Google vs Oracle Lawsuit Case Update: Google Wins Android Copyright Lawsuit Against Oracle Worth $9 Billion

The tussle between two of the biggest names in Silicon Valley, Google and Oracle, had been going for around six years has finally come to a close and it is without doubt a landmark verdict that would have far reaching repurcussions in the years to come. Oracle had filed a case against Google citing the fact that they used Oracle's java software in order to build Android, which remains the world's most popular smartphone operating system and according to the lawsuit that was filed by Oracle, they stated that Google needed licensing if they were to use Java. Although, at the beginning, it was clearly established by the presiding judge that Google had in fact committed an act of copyright infringement, the jury at the San Francisco Federal Court came to the decision that there was no infringement of copyright law.

The verdict could go on to have far reaching effects on the tech and software industry since according to a report on Bloomberg, it "should provide reassurance to software companies that their method of creating common, interoperable software doesn't put them in legal jeopardy. Instead, it will promote the practice of writing re-implementations of the systems used to pass information between widely-used software." Tyler Ochoa, a professor of law said, the verdict "should provide reassurance to software companies that their method of creating common, interoperable software doesn't put them in legal jeopardy. Instead, it will promote the practice of writing re-implementations of the systems used to pass information between widely-used software."

Google's primary argument in this case hinged on the fact that copying the code in Java was not exactly what they were after but rather they were trying to create a new product. Oracle's lawyer Dorian Daley said, "We strongly believe that Google developed Android by illegally copying core Java technology to rush into the mobile device market. Oracle brought this lawsuit to put a stop to Google's illegal behavior. We believe there are numerous grounds for appeal." The company had claimed $475 million in licensing fees and a further $8.8 billion in damages.