{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-blog-post-ts","path":"/can-you-still-use-apis-after-the-googleoracle-fight/","result":{"data":{"site":{"siteMetadata":{"title":"Clausehound Blog","author":"Joshua Koudys"}},"markdownRemark":{"id":"4f559468-2fa0-595c-851a-5936a0b76a15","excerpt":"Links from this article:\nRead the article here. The recent fight between Google and Oracle over the ‘use’ of API source code has raised many questions. This…","html":"<p><strong>Links from this article:</strong>\n<a href=\"http://www.cmswire.com/web-cms/google-loses-to-oracle-but-you-can-still-use-apis/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Read the article here.</a></p>\n<p>The recent fight between Google and Oracle over the ‘use’ of API source code has raised many questions. This article discusses a recent appellate decision which confirmed a lower court’s decision to reject Google’s arguments and claims to the API source code which it ‘borrowed’ from Oracle.</p>\n<p>The message from the court’s decision is that under US law, the business method represented in an API may be patentable, but not the source code. API code may be copyrighted, but the two are distinct. The author states: “Contrary to what you may have read, you cannot be held liable for your programs placing function calls, via HTTP or any other method, to any server’s APIs”. Programs may make calls to server’s API’s [“use” them in this sense], but no one can copy the source code of those API’s without violating copyright [“use them” in your own software development]. Of course, owners of API’s can license the use of the source code.</p>\n<p>As the costly feud between Google and Oracle demonstrates, it is important for API owners to have API user licensing agreements in place .</p>\n<p><strong>Take away:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>API owners should have API User/Licensing Agreements.</li>\n</ul>","frontmatter":{"title":"Can You Still Use API's After the Google/Oracle Fight?","date":"July 15, 2015","description":"This article discusses a recent appellate decision which confirmed a lower court's decision to reject Google's arguments and claims to the API source code which it 'borrowed' from Oracle. ","author":{"id":"rajah@cobaltcounsel.com","first":"Rajah","last":"Lehal","bio":"Rajah Lehal is Founder and CEO of Clausehound.com.  Rajah is a legal technologist and technology lawyer who is, together with the Clausehound team, capturing and sharing lawyer expertise, building deal negotiation libraries, teaching negotiation in classrooms, and automating negotiation with software.","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1,"src":"/static/d7bbad08c257f3987a4a5710553e9e17/bdd4d/Rajah.jpg","srcSet":"/static/d7bbad08c257f3987a4a5710553e9e17/2b9ee/Rajah.jpg 80w,\n/static/d7bbad08c257f3987a4a5710553e9e17/e5d64/Rajah.jpg 160w,\n/static/d7bbad08c257f3987a4a5710553e9e17/bdd4d/Rajah.jpg 320w,\n/static/d7bbad08c257f3987a4a5710553e9e17/6e63d/Rajah.jpg 400w","sizes":"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px"}}}},"tags":["Intellectual Property","Infringement of Third Party Intellectual Property","Commercial Activities","Rajah"]}}},"pageContext":{"slug":"/can-you-still-use-apis-after-the-googleoracle-fight/","previous":{"fields":{"slug":"/closing-conditions-of-an-asset-purchase-agreement-may-be-waived/"},"frontmatter":{"title":"Closing Conditions of an Asset Purchase Agreement May Be Waived","tags":["Asset Purchase Agreement","Closing Conditions","Commercial Activities","Rajah"],"author":{"id":"rajah@cobaltcounsel.com","first":"Rajah","last":"Lehal"}}},"next":{"fields":{"slug":"/blog-bite-what-legal-considerations-should-be-made-when-contemplating-using-or-providing-virtual-reality-products/"},"frontmatter":{"title":"Blog Bite: What legal considerations should be made 'in reality' when contemplating using or providing virtual reality products?","tags":["Intellectual Property","Technology","Intellectual Property Transfer","Licence Restrictions","Blog Bites","Mondaq","USA"],"author":{"id":"alina@clausehound.com","first":"Alina","last":null}}}}}}