Oracle v. Google Fair Use Trial (link round-up; updated June 7, 2016)
Google Prevails:
Google Beats Oracle—Android Makes “Fair Use” of Java APIs (May 26,2016) – Joe Mullin at ArsTechnica
TechDirt podcast: What Happened at the Oracle Google Trial (May 31, 2016) – Mike Masnick and Sarah Jeong (48 minutes)
Why Google’s Fair Use Victory over Oracle Matters (May 31, 2016) – Paula Samuelson in The Guardian; also Google’s Fair Use Victory is Good For Open Source (June 2, 2016) – Paula Samuelson at ArsTechnica
A Guide to Understanding the Oracle v. Google Legal Battle (May 27, 2016) – Victor Luckerson in The Ringer
Pre-Trial:
Google and Oracle’s $9.3 Billion Fair Use Fight Starts Today, Here’s a Guide (May 9, 2016) – Jeff John Roberts in Fortune
Stakes Are High In Oracle v. Google, But The Public Has Already Lost Big (May 12, 2016) – EFF’s Parker Higgins at TechDirt
In Oracle v. Google, a Nerd Subculture Is on Trial (May 12, 2016) – Sarah Jeong at MotherBoard
Background:
General: Oracle America v. Google – Wikipedia
List and Links to Rulings and Related Filings (under the Tab “Documents” following the brief article) – EFF
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Appeal in Google-Oracle Copyright Fight – New York Times:
“Monday’s Supreme Court decision, which was specific to this appeal, means the Oracle-Google saga will now move back to the lower courts to determine another aspect of the case: Even though Google was using copyrighted software, was it only making ‘fair use’ of it . . . ‘You shouldn’t let the owner of an A.P.I. end up owning the other person’s program,’ said Michael Barclay, special counsel to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a tech nonprofit devoted to civil liberties. ‘I don’t think we’ll find out how bad a day this is for a long time.'”
Solicitor General Brief Argued APIs are Copyrightable: Considering whether to grant certiorari in the Google v. Oracle America case, the Supreme Court earlier in 2015 asked the government to weigh in on the dispute. In response, the Solicitor General filed its brief, surprisingly taking the position that APIs are subject to copyright protection.
The Solicitor General’s Brief for the United States as Amicus Curiae (pdf; 23 pages)
Marc Andreesen tweet: “Obama Administration to software programmers: Drop dead!”
November 2014 “Brief of Amici Curiae Computer Scientists in Support of Petitioner” (pdf; 27 pages, excluding list of amici and tables of content and cited authorities)
Appeals Court Ruling (May 2014) – Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
The Appeals Court Decision
Reaction (at that time): Tech World Stunned as Court Rules Oracle Can Own APIs; Google Loses Copyright Appeal – GigaOm
Original Trial and Decision (May 2012) – U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
The Original Copyright Related Rulings: “Order re: copyright ability of certain replicated elements of the JAVA application programming interface” (pdf; 41 pages) and “Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law on Equitable Defenses” (pdf; 3 pages)
News Article Summing Up the Patent Portion of the Case: Jury Clears Google of Infringing on Oracle Patents – ZDNet
Reaction (at that time): Google Wins Crucial API Ruling, Oracle’s Case Decimated; Java API Packages ‘free for all to use under the Copyright Act’ – ArsTechnica