Computer programming powerhouse Oracle are seeking £6.53 billion in damages from Google, claiming that the internet giant has used its copyrighted Java systems in its Android mobile phones.
The threat marks a second copyright infringement battle between the two technology titans in recent years, after Oracle filed a near-identical lawsuit against Google back in 2012 to no avail.
Oracle argued that Google had infringed its Java copyrights, duplicating the “structure, sequence and organization” of up to 37 Java Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in the production of its Android mobile operating system.
Oracle claims that Google was rushing to get their Android system out into the market before it was met with any fierce competition.
A Judge previously ruled that APIs were ineligible for copyright protection – a decision which was overturned by the appeals court and then later declined by the Supreme Court.
In a second go-round of the same dispute, Oracle is hoping to land a knockout blow.
A damages report filed last week in US federal court reveals that the software giant will ask for approximately £6.53 billion in damages.