The Google vs. Oracle API Copyright Case: A Conversation with Professor James Grimmelmann
In this conversation with Professor James Grimmelmann of Cornell Tech, we talk about how the Google vs. Oracle case influences the future of copyrights for APIs. On April 5, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court decided this case that had been in various stages of litigation since 2010. The fundamental question was whether Google violated copyright law when they copied Java APIs and included them in their Android smartphone operating system.
The opinion published by the Supreme Court did not decide whether APIs fall under copyright or not. Instead the argument is that even if they did, Google's use in this case would be covered by fair use.
Professor Grimmelmann has degrees in computer science and law and specializes in the intersection of technology and legal issues. He explains what the opinion has and has not decided, and also talks about what this means for possible future legal cases involving API copyright.
Homepage James Grimmelmann: https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/fac...
Supreme Court Opinion: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions...
Wikipedia case page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_....