1、CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i Copyright in Code: Supreme Court Hears Landmark Software Case in Google v. Oracle October 21, 2020 In what observers have hailed as the “copyright case of the century,” an eight-member Supreme Court heard
2、 arguments on October 7, 2020, in Google LLC v. Oracle America Inc., a long-running intellectual-property dispute between the two tech giants. Along with the billions of dollars at stake between the parties, the Courts decision in Google v. Oracle could have far-reaching implications for software co
3、mpanies, the broader technology industry, and other copyright-intensive industries. Reflecting these stakes, the Supreme Court received over 70 amicus briefs from industry, advocacy groups, academics, and other stakeholders, ranging from computer scientists and small software startup firms to IBM, M
4、icrosoft, and the Motion Picture Association. This Sidebar reviews the legal doctrines at issue in Google, the facts of the dispute, the parties arguments, and the potential implications of the Courts decision for Congress. Software Copyright Basics Copyright law grants certain exclusive legal right