Jury reaches split decision in initial Google/Oracle case

A jury has reached a split decision in the first Google/Oracle copyright infringement case in California. According to the verdict, Google was found to have copied one line of code, plus the structure of Oracle’s 37 Java APIs they are being sued for. The jury couldn’t come to a unanimous decision on whether Google used the APIs in a fair use scenario within Android, citing an “impasse had been reached.”

Google was given a pass on the copying of English-language documentation of the APIs, plus any relevant notes associated with them. Google is therefore pushing for a mistrial. The judge has yet to decide on one important issue: if Google knew, in its decision to use the Java code, whether it was using the SSO (structure, sequence and organization) in a reasonable fashion.

Google and Oracle have been asked to submit statements pertaining to whether they believe the SSO portion of the supposedly-infringed Java APIs are copyrightable. A decision by the judge could render the jury’s claim for infringement null. The submission has to be made by May 10th and the judge is expected to return a verdict after May 14th.

Source: The Verge
Via: PhoneArena