Intro to American Government, Lesson The American System ofGovernment, THE CONSTITUTION

Google v. Oracle America (previously named Oracle America, Inc. v. Google, Inc. in lower courts) is a current legal case within the United States related to the nature of computer code and copyright law. The dispute centers on the use of parts of the Java programming language's application programming interfaces (APIs), which are owned by Oracle (through subsidiary, Oracle America, Inc., originating from Sun Microsystems), within early versions of the Android operating system by Google. Google has admitted to using the APIs, and has since transitioned Android to a copyright-unburdened engine, but argues their original use of the APIs was within fair use.

Oracle initiated the suit arguing that the APIs were copyrightable, seeking US$8.8 billion in damages. While two District Court-level jury trials have found in favor of Google, the Federal Circuit court has reversed both decisions, asserting APIs are copyrightable and Google's application of them failed a fair use defense. Google successfully petitioned to the Supreme Court to hear the case in the 2019 term, focusing on the copyrightability of APIs and subsequent fair use. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this case and several others were pushed to be heard into the 2020 term.

The case is of significant interest within the tech and software industries, as numerous software programs and libraries, particularly in open source, are developed by recreating the functionality of APIs from commercial or competing products to aid developers in interoperability between different systems or platforms.

https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/google-llc-v-oracle-america-inc/

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Questions: Briefly

DESCRIBE THE FACTS OF THE CASE.

Provide background (historical) information and details.

RELATE THE CASE TO WHAT YOU'RE STUDYING IN CLASS. American Government: Chapter Lesson: THE CONSTITUTION, Civil Liberties, Civil Rights and/or the Role of the Courts in Constitutional Interpretation. The Courts.

Use lesson and reading materials to make specific and direct connections between the case and information

covered in class. For example, if your case is about criminal rights, make connections between the case and information covered in Civil Liberties readings.

Why do you care about this case and its ruling in the context of your study of American Government?