Google, Oracle fail to reach settlement in copyright case

Google and Oracle were unable to reach a settlement Friday that would have stopped a closely watched case involving the Android operating system from going to retrial next month.

{mosads}The two companies failed to settle the case during talks, according to a note placed in the case’s docket by the Judge Paul Grewal. Both Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Oracle chief executive Safra Catz were present at the meeting, which, according to Reuters, was court-ordered.

“After an earlier run at settling this case failed, the court observed that some cases just need to be tried,” Grewal said. “This case apparently needs to be tried twice.”

It’s the latest turn in a case that has stretched on for years, and the outcome could have a significant impact on software development.

At issue is a highly technical question: Did Google violate Oracle’s copyrights when it mimicked parts of Oracle’s Java programming language to build Android? The answer may hinge on the specific part of the programming language Google copied. Called the application programming interface, it is the commands that developers use to connect two pieces of software.

Oracle says that they should be protected by copyright. Google — which didn’t ask permission before using the programming language — says they should not.

When the Supreme Court declined to hear the case last year, a lower court was tasked with once again considering Google’s defense of its actions on fair use grounds.

Both companies declined to comment on the most recent development. 

–This report was updated at 12:19 p.m.