The Supreme Court on Monday sided with Google in a long-running dispute with Oracle, finding that in copying Oracle’s computer programming language, Google did not violate the company’s copyright.
The case, which developed into a decadelong, multibillion-dollar court battle, concerned whether Google had violated copyright laws in using Oracle’s Java SE to develop its Android network. Google used about 11,500 lines of code, arguing that it was allowed to do so under federal “fair use” regulations.
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Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in the court’s majority opinion that Google built a user interface, where “the copied lines are inherently bound together with uncopyrightable ideas” and “the creation of new creative expression.”
“Application of fair use here is unlikely to undermine the general copyright protection that Congress provided for computer programs,” he wrote.
Breyer added that because Google was involved in a creative endeavor, building smartphones, it could not be accused of violating copyright law in the way that Oracle alleged.
“Google copied only what was needed to allow programmers to work in a different computing environment without discarding a portion of a familiar programming language,” Breyer wrote. “Google’s purpose was to create a different task-related system for a different computing environment (smartphones) and to create a platform — the Android platform — that would help achieve and popularize that objective.”
Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, writing that Oracle’s code was copyrighted, and Google’s fair use arguments did not hold water in his mind.
“Oracle’s code at issue here is copyrightable, and Google’s use of that copyrighted code was anything but fair,” Thomas wrote.
Google and Oracle have been locked in a legal battle since 2010, when the software developer alleged that Google had infringed on its copyrighted Java platform when the tech giant developed its Android operating system. Oracle originally sought a $9 billion settlement from Google.
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The court heard arguments in October and indicated it is seeking a solution by which it can protect software codes without upending the tech industry.
The case drew significant attention from film, music, and publishing industries, with many prominent figures throwing support behind Oracle, alleging a similar abuse of their materials by Google. Many tech companies, including Microsoft, backed up Google, pointing to its fair use claims.
