To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: Was it fair for Google to copy 11,500 lines of Oracle’s copyrighted Java Application Programming Interface (API) simply to make it easier for programmers already familiar with Java to develop apps for Google’s Android smartphone without having to learn a new programming language? The Supreme Court answered yes, Google’s copying was a fair use and thus not copyright infringement, thereby ending a ten-year legal battle between the two technology giants. This case has enormous consequences for the software industry, both in terms of how companies should protect the intellectual property in their software and in how software developers can build on the work of others to create new products.