Google has just won support from Microsoft and IBM over the longstanding dispute it has had against Oracle.
Google has gained new allies in the long-standing battle it is having against Oracle, which in 2010 sued the search giant for having used Java-related code lines on Android without proper authorization.
According we report in this article, the dispute between Oracle and Google that has been dragging on since 2010 should come to an end this year (2020). Recently the giants Microsoft and IBM (which last year bought Red Hat for a few billion dollars) declared full support from Google. According to experts, an Oracle victory could harm the entire software development industry, allowing companies that own several basic development tools to protect them with copyright. For this and other reasons that Microsoft and IBM have issued 40 and 51 pages respectively, officially declaring themselves in favor of Google in this cause. As we reported in the previous article we published on the subject, Oracle has asked the court to reject Google's continued efforts to avoid liability for copying its innovations. Oracle has gained less and less support from other major technology companies, although last year it gained official support from General Noel Francisco, a member of the attorney general's office of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit that has been going on for almost ten years has, on several occasions, already won the case for both parties, but now that the case has reached the Supreme Court, the last chance that companies will have to prove their side. Finally, the decision that will be taken by the court at this end of the process is not just about this particular case, but the question that will really be answered if software like the Oracle API can really be protected by copyright.
If the dispute ends in favor of Google, the process will be effectively closed. But if the decision is made in favor of Oracle, the next step will be to decide how much Google should pay to cover the damage caused by Oracle.
Now it is time for you, dear reader, to leave your opinion on this controversial issue. Who do you believe is right in this dispute? And why? Leave your point of view in the comments below!
Tomorrow we will publish an article talking about how such a requirement on the part of Oracle may have influenced some of Linus Torvalds' decisions regarding the Linux Kernel. So, stay tuned!
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