Oracle alleges that Google’s ‘Android’ mobile operating system breaches seven patents and copyright claims relating to Java – a computer programming language – which Oracle took ownership of in 2010 following its acquisition of Sun Microsystems, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Sticking point

A San Francisco jury found in favour of Oracle in the first phase of the three-part case, unanimously agreeing on all but one question of the four it was asked.
However, the sticky point -- whether the breach amounted to ‘fair use’ – could be a key stumbling block to Oracle’s efforts, as US District Judge William Alsup advised lawyers on both sides that there is ‘zero finding of copyright liability’ without a fair use verdict, reports The Guardian newspaper.

Whittled down claim

Oracle had initially indicated it would seek a much more in damages – reportedly $6.1bn – but Google whittled down the claim to involve just nine lines of Java code and two patents.
Mountain View-based Google has consistently denied the allegations, adding that Oracle can not copyright certain parts of the Java code. Despite the protests, the court case began last month, becoming one of the biggest patent lawsuits ever seen in the technology sector.