The cofounder of Google's Android just proved why you should always be careful what you say on work e-mail
At the core of the case is whether or not Google infringed on Oracle's copyright by putting key pieces of the Java technology into the mega-popular Android operating system.
Java was first developed by Sun Microsystems, a company that Oracle acquired in 2009. Shortly after the acquisition, Oracle filed a series of lawsuits against Google alleging infringement.
To prove its case, Oracle's legal team today dredged up an e-mail from 2006, where Rubin acknowledged that the Java programming language APIs were copyrighted by Sun. This was reported by Vice Motherboard contributing editor Sarah Jeong on Twitter.
On the surface, this e-mail shows that not only did Rubin, who was then leading Android, know that the Java APIs are copyrightable - but that Google was knowingly and willfully circumventing Sun's copyright. If and when the jury has to calculate damages owed to Oracle, this could end up seriously hurting Google.
Rubin wrote in a 2006 email, "Ha, Wish them luck. Java lang apis are copyrighted. And Sun gets to say who they license the JCK to."
- sarah jeong (@sarahjeong) May 12, 2016
Google, and the technology world at large, have been contending that APIs are not subject to copyright in the first place - it would make it legally difficult or impossible to build any kind of interoperability. That said, back in 2014, an appeals court found in favor of Oracle in this lawsuit and ruled that APIs are, indeed, copyrightable.
This e-mail doesn't necessarily sink Google's case entirely: The lawsuit is still ongoing, and Google's defense hinges on the concept of "fair use," the claim that it was legally allowed to use the Java APIs in Android, regardless of whether or not Oracle can copyright them.
Rubin says that he meant the *implementations* are copyrightable.
- sarah jeong (@sarahjeong) May 12, 2016
But if the jury finds against Google in this case, there's lots of buzz around the courtroom that Rubin's bombshell e-mail could still demonstrate "willfulness," which is a big factor in determining the damages awarded to Oracle. With Oracle asking for $9 billion in damages, this one e-mail could potentially tip the scales and cost Google millions or billions.
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