Arik Hesseldahl

Recent Posts by Arik Hesseldahl

Jury in Oracle-Google Trial Over Java Appears Stuck

Thursday ended without a verdict in the Oracle-Google trial over Java, but there were notes to the judge from jurors asking questions, suggesting that the jury might be deadlocked.

The Associated Press reported that a note to Judge William Alsup asked what would happen if jurors were unable to come to a conclusion, and indicated that some jurors are not budging from their positions.

Alsup called jurors into the courtroom for a talk, then sent them home so they could “start fresh” today. Bloomberg Businessweek reported that Alsup told lawyers that it’s possible the jury is deadlocked. If that’s what happens, Alsup said, the parties would move immediately into the second phase of the trial, which covers patents.

Jurors have been asked to decide if Google’s use of 37 sections of Oracle-owned Java source code constitutes a copyright infringement, or if, as Google has argued, the copied sections are so insignificant as to amount to “no big deal.”

Oracle sued Google in 2010, after acquiring Sun Microsystems and becoming the owner of the Java programming language. Google stands accused of using some parts of Java to create Android without having first obtained the relevant licenses — first from Sun, then from Oracle — that, among other things, required compatibility with other flavors of Java.

The jury has been deliberating since lawyers for Google and Oracle wound up their arguments on Monday.

(Image courtesy of Icanhascheezburger)

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