Google-Oracle Trial Begins, With Implications for All of Silicon Valley

MercuryNews: On Monday, two of the largest technology companies in Silicon Valley will face off in a trial that could have major implications for the software industry. Oracle is suing Google because it believes Google’s Android mobile operating system makes illegal use of Oracle’s Java programming language. Oracle wants $1 billion in damages and an injunction that would alter the way Google distributes Android.

The presiding judge, U.S. District Judge William Alsup, has called the lawsuit “the World Series of IP cases.” At issue in the case is the larger question of whether copyright protection applies to APIs.