A US jury has found Google did infringe Oracle copyrights with Java code in Android. Several other issues were decided in Google's favour, leading both sides to claim victories.
Oracle is suing Google over its use of Java technologies in the Android mobile phone operating system, claiming Google needed licences for some of the software. Copyright and patent issues are before the court, though several of Oracle's patent claims have already been struck down, and the copyright claims severely limited. The copyright phase is now complete, and the trial will move to the patent issues, before deciding any damages.
The jury found Google was indeed in violation of copyright on Oracle's Java APIs, but that decision was made after judge William Alsup had instructed the jury to assume APIs are copyrightable at all.
The judge's instruction was intended to move the case along, since the question of whether an API can be copyrighted at all is still pending a ruling, which will come later. That ruling will come directly from the judge, rather than being decided by the jury. If that question is decided in the negative, the jury's finding will be irrelevant. The European Court of Justice ruled earlier this year (in SAS vs WPL) that APIs could not be copyrighted, but as with software patents, the US and the EU may end up with different ideas about what can and can't be protected under intellectual property law.
If Google is ultimately found liable for any of the issues, it could mean hefty settlement fees, and possible licence fees for Android, pushing device prices higher. Several Android handset manufacturers, including Samsung and HTC, already pay licensing fees to Microsoft, following patent disputes.
Oracle's originally claimed $6.1 billion in damages, an amount which was summarily rejected by the judge. Statutory damages are now estimated at around $200 million, but may change as the case evolves. Oracle acquired the Java technology in its acquisition of Sun Microsystems, in a deal worth $7.4 billion.
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