Computer Scientists Urge Court To Block Copyright Claims In Oracle V. Google API Fight

Dozens of Industry Leaders Argue APIs That Are Open Are Critical to Innovation, Interoperability

San Francisco - Dozens of computer scientists urged an appeals court today to block the copyright claims over application programming interfaces (APIs) in the Oracle v. Google court battle, arguing that APIs that are open are critical to innovation and interoperability in computers and computer systems.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) represents the 32 scientists – including leaders like MS-DOS author Tim Paterson and ARPANET developer Larry Roberts – in the amicus brief filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit today. The group urges the court to uphold a decision from U.S. District Judge William Alsup finding that APIs are not copyrightable, explaining that Oracle's attempt to over-extend copyright coverage in its case against Google was irreconcilable with the purpose of copyright law and the nature of computer science.