Jury finds Google infringed Java copyright

Google has been found to have infringed on Java’s API (application programming interface) copyright by a jury in Northern California, at the end of the first phase of a suit brought by Oracle against Google. As owner of Java, Oracle is seeking around a billion dollars US in damages against Google, owner of Android, in a three part action.

This result was expected since Google’s own witnesses have admitted that the existence of nine lines of code forming a range check must have been included verbatim from the original Java code, and therefore not possibly Google’s own work. However, Google claimed “fair use” in its defence and the jury was unable to agree on whether or not that common copyright element applies in this case.

Samsung about to prevail in more patent battles with Apple?

Apple’s litigation in Germany against Samsung over alleged infringement of a photo gallery page flip patent, has today taken a turn for the worse. 

The Mannheim Regional Court Judge (Andrea Voss) has issued a stay of proceedings in the case, the likely outcome of which will be that the court will find the patent to be invalid. According to German ‘patent suit’ junkie, Florian Mueller, courts in Germany issue a stay of this nature only if the likelihood of the defendant demonstrating invalidation of said patent are in excess of 80%.

Setbacks for Apple in patent suits against Motorola

 

In the Apple vs Motorola patent suit taking place in Chicago, Motorola has scored an important victory, gaining a summary judgment motion on a touchscreen patent in dispute. In addition, presiding Judge Richard A. Posner has narrowed Apple's claims of infringement by rejecting several other claims which he believes have no merit.

An undoubted setback for Apple, the outcome of this suit may well strengthen Motorola’s position in other litigation in the US and Europe.