Why we should care?
This is a case that has been ongoing for the past 10 years with each side winning their arguments through the appeals process that has led to a stalemate thus the burden of deciding the case falls to the Supreme Court.
We should care because if Google wins on the basis that computer code created by another company should be deemed fair use thus not entitled to copyright protections under the US law, then that means anybody whose hard intensive Creative labor that goes into creating something of intrinsic value then big monolithic corporations like Google has the right to steal it without compensation! This no doubt would have serious ramifications across all spectrums of technology that relies on computer coding to operate their product designs. Not to mention a chilling effect on innovation and fair competition in a capitalistic driven economy.
Oracle filed suit because they created their in house Java API code that Google uses in their Android operating system on the grounds of copyright infringement. Google won their appeal arguing their acquisition was one of “fair use,” the legal doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material without having to first acquire permission from the copyright holder. Essentially what this means in the aggregate of this case is that Google doesn’t respect private property and thus advocates more of collectivism than individualism to justify their blatant theft. Either way, this case and it’s final decision to be rendered by the SCOTUS is going to be a momentous decision that will have serious ramifications. In other words should Google win it will have serious and damaging consequences for copyright protections within the digital world.
Excerpts from the linked article:
Google’s argument, and the clear disregard for private property protections it implies, shouldn’t be too surprising coming from Google, a company that consistently embraces the collectivist left. The political left has long admired the work of thinkers like Marx, who stresses not only the value of collectivism, but also the abolition of private property in its entirety. Indeed, Google’s lax approach to copyright mirrors the disdain for private ownership that so many on the left hold.
As a matter of history, far-left collectivists have rarely respected the fundamental right to private property – and Google, it would seem, is no different. What’s more, it’s not just tech firms Google has stolen from – complaints have also been filed by authors, publishers, software providers, newspapers and others. Indeed, their recent legal history has been very troubling, and they have found themselves in a host of legal troubles, both here and abroad, regarding intellectual property theft and piracy. Antitrust lawsuits and investigations have been routine and are accelerating with the recent news in September that almost fifty state attorneys general have launched a nationwide investigation on antitrust concerns over Google’s dominance in online advertising. All of this has fueled bipartisan efforts to severely curtail the company’s power and influence.
Linked Article a recommended read ;
Here’s Why Google Doesn’t Respect Private Property - American Thinker