Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Backs Oracle Corporation (ORCL)

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) won the first major round in a copyright infringement lawsuit against Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) last year revolving around the use of Java coding in the Android operating system. It was a decision that rattled the technology industry, especially those firms that make various software and coding programs that can or are used across different platforms like an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Mac OS, an Android system or a Windows operating system by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT).

Well, Microsoft is certainly a company that focuses a lot on software and coding, so it might make sense that as the Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) v. Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) moves to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) would desire to take a position in this case. The desire has turned to action, as Microsoft lawyers have submitted an amicus brief in the appeal case, taking a stand in support of Oracle and its Java code, asking that the lower court decision be overturned and to find that Jave code can be copyrighted and that Google infringed on that copyright when it created the code for the Android OS.

After essentially losing twice in the original trial – the jury ruled that Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) did not infringe on the copyright – which basically came from Judge William Alsup ruling that the code could not be copyrighted in the first place – and won on the fair use of the code, countering Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) arguments that it should have been paid licensing fees for the use of the code – Oracle is trying to push for establish Java as a copyrighted code, and not just the specific tags and headers in the code but also the “structure” of it, which is the key to the Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) brief.