Google Did Not Violate Oracle's Patents

Google has won a court victory against Oracle over claims the internet giant stole the software maker's smart phone technology.

A jury in California unanimously decided Google's Android operating system for smart phones and tablets does not infringe on Oracle's patents for its Java software.

The trial has been divided into three stages and the latest verdict brought the second stage to a close.

An earlier verdict by the same jury found Google had infringed on a small portion of Java code protected by copyright but it could not unanimously agree on whether it constituted "fair use" of the technology.

The third part of the trial will determine what, if any, damages Google faces for infringing on Oracle's copyrights.

Oracle is trying to get more than $1bn (£630m) from its fellow technology giant.

And without a ruling against Google on the "fair use" question, Oracle, which bought Java inventor Sun Microsystems in a $7.4bn (£4.7bn) deal in 2009, cannot recover damages on the bulk of its copyright claims.

Oracle sued Google in August 2010, saying Android - the world's most used mobile software - infringed on its intellectual property rights to the Java programming language.

Google has denied the claims and said it believes mobile phone makers and other users of its open-source Android operating system are entitled to use the Java technology in dispute.

Google lawyer Robert Van Nest said: "We are grateful for the jury's verdict," as he left the San Francisco courtroom.

A Google spokesman said: "Today's jury verdict that Android does not infringe Oracle's patents was a victory not just for Google but the entire Android ecosystem."

Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger said the company presented "overwhelming evidence" that Google "knew it would fragment and damage Java".

"We plan to continue to defend and uphold Java's core... and ensure it is protected for the nine million Java developers and the community that depend on Java compatibility," she said in a statement.