Google Beats Oracle on Copyright, Defeating $9 Billion Claim

  • U.S. jury finds Android didn’t need license for Java code
  • Software developers have cause to celebrate Google’s win

Google Beats Oracle Copyright Suit, Wiping Away $9B Claim

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Google won a jury verdict that kills Oracle Corp.’s claim to a $9 billion slice of the search giant’s Android phone business and may give comfort to programmers who write applications that run across different platforms without a license.

Oracle contended that Google needed a license to use its Java programming language to develop Android, the operating system in 80 percent of the world’s mobile devices. Jurors in San Francisco federal court on Thursday rejected that argument and concluded Google made fair use of the code under copyright law.