The verdict is in; Google's usage of Oracle's Java APIs is "fair use"

After years of litigation, a jury has ruled in Google's favor in a case against Oracle over the usage of Java APIs in Android.

It all started back in 2010, when Oracle sued Google, claiming that the firm had infringed on Oracle's intellectual property. In 2012, a judge ruled that a programming language cannot be copyrighted, a decision that was overturned when Oracle appealed the decision.

As you might have guessed, Oracle plans to appeal today's verdict as well, issuing the following statement:

We strongly believe that Google developed Android be illegally copying core Java technology to rush into the mobile device market. Oracle brought this lawsuit to put a stop to Google's illegal behavior. We believe there are numerous grounds for appeal and we plan to bring this case back to the Federal Circuit on appeal.

Google issued a statement as well, calling it a "win for the Android ecosystem".

Today's verdict that Android makes fair use of Java APIs represents a win for the Android ecosystem, for the Java programming community, and for software developers who rely on open and free programming languages to build innovative consumer products.

While Oracle argued that Google copied 11,500 lines of code in order to "take a shortcut at Oracle's expense", Google argued that Java has always been free and open to use.

While today's verdict is undoubtedly a big win for Google, you can be sure that this isn't the last that you'll hear about this case. After all, it's been going on for almost six years.

Source: CNBC Now