Oracle vs. Google (Photo : Facebook)
The Google vs. Oracle federal case resulted in a jury deciding on May 26, Thursday that the Alphabet company's Android operating system did not break the database giant's copyrights. After three days of closed-door talks the jury made the conclusion that Google's use of 37 Java application program interfaces (APIs) was protected by "fair use."
Ten men and women made up the jury. Jurors were only asked on the special verdict form if Google's reuse of Java APIs was protected as "fair use" based on copyright law.
The verdict in favor of Google ends the trial. If Oracle had won the case the next phase of the trial would have been a "damages phase" to figure out how much Google would be required to pay.
United States District Judge William Alsup thanked the jurors for their hard work. He has been handling the legal case since 2010.
Google lead attorney Robert Van Nest stated that the company is thankful for the jury's verdict. Meanwhile, Oracle lawyers did not comment.
The search giant also argued in a statement that its victory will benefit everyone. It stated in an e-mail that the victory is good for the Android ecosystem, Java programmers, and software developers who use open/free programming languages, according to Ars Technica.
Meanwhile, Oracle has promised to appeal the decision. The company's general counsel Dorian Daley argued that Google's "illegal behavior" involved copying Java technology to quickly join the mobile market.
Oracle filed the case against Google in 2010 after it bought Sun Microsystems. Judge Alsup's ruling that legal rights cannot be issued to APIs was overturned in an appeal. The only argument Google could make in the latest trial was that the 37 APIs were included as "fair use."
In related news, a US Magistrate judge who is leaving the legal system to work at Facebook has agreed to withdraw from a different court case involving Google. A lawyer argued it would be unfair for the judge to handle the case.
Judge Paul Grewal was surprised by Google's request, according to Fortune. The case is about a claim that the tech company illegally scanned student email.
Grewal's job at Facebook will be to handle the social network's global legal cases.
Here's an interview with Oracle's CEO:
