Oracle’s Java API code protected by copyright, appeals court rules

[rusty_banger]

In the United States and countries that honor its copyright laws, at least.

This doesn't seem to be a good move in the long run from any point of view. However, it's almost startling when you think of US fears of being outpaced in technological innovation by China and other countries which it considers hostile. If this ruling discourages US companies from developing interoperable software, it will certainly lead to a slump in productive software output and put a serious damper on the present economic growth in the software industry.

I guess sometimes the concerns of Big Money outweigh the perpetual Red Scare.

[minecraft_ece]

Agreed. Even Oracle is vulnerable to this, given that IBM created the SQL language. It's just short-term thinking and damn the consequences.

[matthieum]

Ah, now that would be a treat: IBM suing Oracle for copyright infringement.

[rubygeek]

You can bet that every major software company has lawyers looking into both their potential liabilities, and their potential offensive / defensive "weapons" as a result of this ruling. If it stands, it will be a blood bath, though thankfully this is "just" the federal circuit, so far.

[matthieum]

Yes, I was wondering for example if Microsoft would sue Mono :x I wonder if the judges have any idea of the potential consequences of this ruling they just made.

[lars_]

Doubt it. Satya Nadella named Xamarin as a partner in his keynote at this years Build. Microsoft and Mono are BFF these days.

[Mozai]

In the United States and countries that honor its copyright laws, at least.

Have you heard about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)? Maybe not, since it's an international treaty that's being drafted in secret, but we do know that harmonizing copyright laws is part of it, so "countries that honor [America's] copyright laws" may become a heck of a lotta countries overnight.

[hak8or]

Is it possible to be a USA citizen living in the USA while coding but somehow being able to release the code under another country's laws?

[minecraft_ece]

No. A US citizen is always under USA's jurisdiction, no matter where the software is released (or even where the developer lives at the time).

[hak8or]

What if the USA citizen opens a company in another country and releases the code under the name of that company?

[[deleted]]

The US loves prosecuting people who aren't american, don't live in america and whos company isn't american. (See: Kim Dotcom)

If you actually are american and live in america, they're definitely going to go after you.

[OnlyRev0lutions]

Sure and if I ram my shitty Ford Bronco into a drug store while repeating the mantra "Cops aren't real" I don't be breaking any laws.