Oracle Asks Google to Pay $0 in Damages in API Lawsuit

In an interesting twist to the Oracle and Google API lawsuit, Oracle’s lawyers stated that they would accept $0 for damages. This left judge Alsup confused and he asked, “Is there a catch I need to be aware of?”

However, Oracle’s legal team said that there was no catch and that they had not given up on their case. The company plans to appeal and take up the case with the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. If Oracles latest move is accepted, the two technology giants will wind up back in front of Judge Alsup, who had earlier struck down Oracles claims. If a second round between the two heavy weights does take place, Oracle may be looking at damages ranging from $32.3 million to $0.

The legal battle started when Oracle claimed that Google used 37 Java APIs in their Android operating system. Java is a programming that is owned by Oracle and came into its possession when it purchased Sun Microsystems in 2009. The Java APIs help other programs communicate with the operating system and are extensively used in Google’s Android. Oracle had claimed that Google should have created a licensing agreement with Oracle before using their technology. Oracle also stated that it wanted payment on every Android that was being used by consumers. Since Android is free and very popular, the amount of money that Oracle was looking for would come out to be a very large amount.

The lawsuit was also of interest to other technology companies because no legal verdict had ever involved API and a decision would set a precedent for future cases and guide the industry in what is acceptable. The judge ended up rubbishing Oracles claims and stated that they could not monopolize a technology or function that had only one way of being expressed.