By: John Bergmayer (Public Knowledge)
The long rivalry between tech giants Oracle and Google came to an end with a 2021 Supreme Court ruling that reinstated the view that Application Software Interfaces (APIs) – a form of software library – was fair use. Here, Google had written code that was indistinguishable in many ways to existing software published by developer Java, which was intended to help developers working on the new Android platform. In this case, Google’s implementation of Java-like APIs in the system allowed developers to make requests for information or actions that the system would easily understand. However, though the new ‘functional’ code may have been totally different from the original Java code, the programmers still have to call things by the same names in order for the program to work.
The Supreme Court correctly judged that this situation was pro-competitive and legitimate, as copyright law and IP protections are not meant to lock developers into specific proprietary platforms or to prevent the entry of new platforms that can be compatible with powerful incumbents…
Featured News
Pork Industry Faces Legal Challenges as Antitrust Lawsuits Against Seaboard Foods Dismissed
Oct 2, 2024 by
CPI
CMA Strengthens Investigation with Advisory Panel of Veterinary Experts
Oct 2, 2024 by
CPI
US Merchants Sue Visa, Alleging Unfair Dominance in Debit Card Market
Oct 2, 2024 by
CPI
European Commission Appoints New Chief Competition Economist
Oct 2, 2024 by
CPI
EU Commission Requests Information from YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok on Algorithm Usage
Oct 2, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Refusal to Deal
Sep 27, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust’s Refusal-to-Deal Doctrine: The Emperor Has No Clothes
Sep 27, 2024 by
Erik Hovenkamp
Why All Antitrust Claims are Refusal to Deal Claims and What that Means for Policy
Sep 27, 2024 by
Ramsi Woodcock
The Aspen Misadventure
Sep 27, 2024 by
Roger Blair & Holly P. Stidham
Refusal to Deal in Antitrust Law: Evolving Jurisprudence and Business Justifications in the Align Technology Case
Sep 27, 2024 by
Timothy Hsieh