security blog

Google did not infringe patents owned by software developer Oracle, a jury in a California court found on Wednesday.

The Silicon Valley giants had fought over whether Google used Oracle’s Java programming language in its Android mobile operating system.

Two weeks ago the same jury ruled that Google infringed Oracle’s copyright, but could not agree whether Google’s actions constituted “fair use”.

The internet search giant maintains Android was built “from scratch”.

Oracle sued Google in August 2010, saying Android infringed its intellectual property rights.

Google said it does not violate Oracle’s patents and that Oracle cannot copyright certain parts of Java, which is an “open-source”, or publicly available, software language.

Without a finding against Google on the “fair use” issue, Oracle cannot recover the up to $1bn (£637m) in damages it was seeking.

The case focused not on using the Java programming language itself, but rather the use of 37 application programming interfaces (APIs) which help developers create software on the platform.

With internet innovation moving fast, it is common for software writers to adapt APIs that mini-programs use to “talk” to one another.

The jury concluded that Google infringed on 37 copyrighted APIs but it also agreed that Google demonstrated that it was led to believe it did not need a license for using Java.

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Google on Wednesday was cleared of charges that it had infringed Oracle's Java patents, ending the second major phase of the trial.
"Today's jury verdict that Android does not infringe Oracle’s patents was a victory not just for Google but the entire Android ecosystem," a Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement.