The Federal Circuit Resurrects Oracle’s Multibillion Dollar Copyright Claim against Google, Narrowing The Fair Use Doctrine for Software

On March 27, the Federal Circuit reversed the district court’s finding that Google’s use of Java APIs in its Android operating system was fair use, resurrecting Oracle’s multibillion dollar copyright claim. In what will be a landmark ruling if upheld, a three-judge panel of the court sharply limited the jury’s role in deciding fair use cases and materially narrowed the fair use doctrine in the software context.