Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) has released a statement on Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Supreme Court petition seeking reversal of the decision on the oracle’s copyright case. On Thursday Google asked the Supreme Court to reverse a ruling delivered on the case back in 2010.
The copyright petition
In the petition, Google asked the high court to consider their copying of Oracle’s Java Programming language to build the Android OS as something that was permissible under the copyright law. Although Google got cleared in 2016, the appeal court reversed the verdict last year and set up a jury trial to determine financial damages.
In a statement, Google indicated that the Federal Circuit’s verdict favoring Oracle was a devastating blow that will chill innovations. The petition involves the amount of copyright protection that Oracle should receive since their Java Programming Language was used to design Google’s’ Android Operating system running smartphones.
Oracle wants royalties for the unauthorized use of the application programming interfaces of their Java language. On their end, Google holds that copyright protection does not extend to APIs since they are essential aspects of software creation. They also said that their copying of java program was permissible under the law on fair-use defines that allow unlicensed usage of copyrighted works for research purposes.
Oracle’s statement on the petition
Dorian Daley, The Oracle General counsel, said that the rehashing argument of Google had already been discredited. Their fabricated innovation concern of wanting to be allowed the autonomous ability to copyright original work of others for their convenience and monetary gain hides their true resolve.
The statement indicates that the ‘chill on innovation’ has never been a valid reason for justifying copying because it is just a myth. From the initial Federal Circuit decision, the Java programming language was copyright protected, and Oracle will continue to protect their innovations and those of others by making sure the established copyright laws do not get subverted by anyone trying to gain undue advantage.
The general counsel added that the appeal court was right all through and that the Supreme Court should equally follow suit by denying Google’s request.