ARTICLE · 22 JUNE 2016

Copyrighting APIs – Google And Oracle Battle It Out

Mason Hayes & Curran LLP

Contributor

Mason Hayes & Curran LLP

Managing Partner: Will Carmody Chair: Philip Nolan Number of partners: 124 Languages: French,...

In May 2016, a six-year legal tussle between Google and Oracle entered its final phase when the US District Court for Northern California ruled that Google's use of 37 Oracle Java APIs...

IrelandIntellectual Property

Peter Bolger

Mark Adair

Author LinkedIn connections

In May 2016, a six-year legal tussle between Google and Oracle entered its final phase when the US District Court for Northern California ruled that Google's use of 37 Oracle Java APIs in Google's Android mobile operating system was permissible as it amounts to 'fair use' under US copyright law.

Oracle's copyright infringement claim

The complex Oracle v Google litigation began in 2010. Oracle claimed that when Google was developing its Android mobile operating system, it infringed Oracle's intellectual property in proprietary Java software by, among other things, directly copying and inserting around 11,500 lines of Java code without sufficient licensing. Oracle claimed that Google's reuse of 37 of 166 packages of the Java API was an infringement of Oracle's copyright and patent rights.

We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.

Copyrighting APIs – Google And Oracle Battle It Out

Oracle's copyright infringement claim

Related Articles

Cross-border Patent Litigation And The UPC’s Expanding Reach: Implications For Ireland

IP Rights In A Borderless Internet: CJEU Developments On Geo-Blocking, Copyright And Trade Marks

An Exclusive License Does Not Automatically Eliminate A Patent Owner’s Right To Sue

Pro = Active? CJEU Asked To Decide

New EU Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation: Key Changes And Practical Implications

Read more about

Related Comparative Guides

Franchise & Licensing

Patent Litigation

Trademark Disputes

Intellectual Property

See more popular content from

Ireland's UPC Referendum Likely Delayed Again

CJEU Issues Guidance On When Parallel Importers Can Rebrand Generics As Branded Medicines

WIPO Release Figures For 2016 PCT Applications

European Commission Withdraws SEP Regulation

New EU Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation: Key Changes And Practical Implications

AI Model Training On Trial: Getty Images v Stability AI Decision Explained

CJEU To Rule On AI Chatbots And Copyright In Landmark Case Against Google

Russia Issues Decree Providing For 0% Compensation For The Unauthorised Use Of Certain IP Rights Emanating From "Unfriendly Countries"

Court Of Justice Rules That Hyperlinking Internet Content Is Not Copyright Infringement

Pro = Active? CJEU Asked To Decide

Registration Portal Opens For Beneficial Owners Of ICAVs, Unit Trusts And Credit Unions

Who ‘Owns’ An Employer’s Contacts? New Judgment Provides Clarification

Hedge Funds In Ireland

Croke Park Agreement

Court Of Justice Rules That Hyperlinking Internet Content Is Not Copyright Infringement

General Data Protection Regulation: 6 Things You Need To Know

How The Regulation Of The Dot IE Domain Led To Success For Irish Business

AI And Automated Decisions: GDPR And The Evolving Decision-Making Process

EU General Court Finds In Favour Of Monster In Energy Drink Trade Mark Dispute

Aviation Update: An Insight To Innovation And Initiatives At The Irish Aviation Authority - Annual Report 2016