Google disputes Oracle's $6 billion compensatory claim
In a significant legal battle that has spanned several years, the ongoing patent lawsuit between Oracle and Google centres around Google's Android mobile operating system and its alleged infringement on Java patents owned by Oracle.
Google has maintained its stance that it has not infringed on Oracle's patents. In response to the court filing, Google issued a statement, claiming that the estimate made by Oracle is flawed due to fundamental legal errors. Google further denies infringing on Oracle's patents relating to the Java programming language.
The lawsuit is in relation to patents that Oracle acquired as a result of its acquisition of Sun Microsystems. Oracle claims that if Google is found guilty, it could owe between $1.5 billion and $6.1 billion. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 6-2 decision in 2021 that Google’s copying of about 11,500 lines of Oracle’s Java SE API constituted fair use, effectively ending Oracle’s patent infringement claims against Google related to this matter.
The ruling provides strong U.S. legal precedent protecting transformative use in software. However, companies must still be cautious, as fair use interpretations can vary outside the U.S. The case underlined the importance for businesses to carefully assess legal risks when using third-party APIs and to aim for transformative use that adds new value to existing software.
Meanwhile, a separate high-profile legal dispute has arisen between Oracle and Hewlett-Packard. Hewlett-Packard claims that Oracle's decision to discontinue support for Intel's Itanium chips has caused significant issues for its servers based on these chips. Hewlett-Packard has filed a lawsuit against Oracle alleging issues related to Oracle's decision.
As of mid-2025, there have been no recent updates indicating a reopening or new financial claims against Google in this matter. The Supreme Court's ruling has definitively ended Oracle’s infringement claims related to the Java API, and Google does not face financial damages from this case.
[1] Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Google in Oracle Patent Case [2] Google Wins Supreme Court Case Against Oracle Over Java API [3] The Google-Oracle Patent Case: Implications for Software Development and IP Strategy
[1] The recent Supreme Court ruling declared Google's use of about 11,500 lines of Oracle's Java SE API as fair use, a decision that sets a significant legal precedent for software development, protecting transformative use and adding new value to existing software, while potentially influencing how businesses approach using third-party APIs.
[2] Despite Oracle's claim of patent infringement, the financial implications from Oracle's lawsuit against Google over the Android mobile operating system's alleged infringement on Java patents have been averted, following the Supreme Court's 2021 decision, which dismissed Oracle's patent infringement claims related to this matter.
