Google has won the favors and ruling of the Supreme Court after a long-enduring battle against Oracle, as it filed a copyright lawsuit against the company, claiming that it copied Android on the Java platform. While Google admitted to copying the lengthy codes of the operating system, the judges have mentioned that it was fair use.
Google vs. Oracle: Copyright Issues
The popular internet and technology company, Google, has faced the hardship of a lawsuit and prevailed against it, particularly as it was successful in defending against copyright issues pursued by Oracle. Google did nothing wrong, according to the United States Supreme Court, with a 6-2 decision that ultimately played out in Google's favor.
According to US News (via the Associated Press), Android has 11,500 lines of code which was taken off Oracle's Java platform back in 2007 to create the popular smartphone operating system. The Android OS is now one of the most used across the globe, also a technologically advanced and highly profitable code.
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Oracle and Google's Backers
Oracle has pursued a case against Google and was backed by the film and media industry, which all agreed to more expansive copyright law in the country to protect movies, music, books, series, and literature. Oracle was previously backed by the government, especially as it prevailed in purchasing TikTok rights from ByteDance for its US, Canada, UK, and Australia operations.
Ironically, former foes and rivals of Google had backed the company in this copyright issue against Oracle. The likes of Microsoft and IBM believed that losing this case could lead to serious software development issues.
Supreme Court Favors Google
As what has transpired over the highest court in the country, Google LCC vs. Oracle America Inc. was initially pushed by the plaintiff (Oracle) last Aug. 5, 2020, and less than a year from that, it was already decided. However, the case did not turn out in Oracle's favor, especially as judges ruled out a split decision that favored the Mountain View giant.
Despite Google admitting to copying more than 11,500 lines of code from the Java platform, the Supreme Court said that what the internet company did was fair use. Moreover, Google has copied only what was "necessary," which the company had transformed into something new and useful.
Android is currently the largest operating system in the world, coming to its 12th OS version in beta.
Google argued that copying something and turning it into a new and separate product is what it did in the name of innovation, not a lazy take on creating an operating system.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Isaiah Alonzo
