Oracle v. Google: District Court Holds Command Structure of Java API Not Copyrightable | Practical Law
In Oracle America, Inc. v. Google Inc., the US District Court for the Northern District of California, holding that the command structure, sequence and organization (including headers and definitions) of 37 of Oracle's Java API packages were not copyrightable, dismissed Oracle's copyright infringement claim. The court's decision in this case of first impression is noteworthy for highlighting the boundaries between patent and copyright and marking the functionality-based limits of copyright protection for software.