U.S. court questions Google defense against Oracle over Android

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington closely questioned Google's claim that Oracle does not enjoy copyright protection over certain parts of the Java programming language. The question is being closely watched by software developers in Silicon Valley.

Google's Android operating system is the world's best-selling smartphone platform. The Java programming language was created by Sun Microsystems, which Oracle acquired in 2010. Oracle sued Google later that year, claiming that Google had improperly incorporated parts of Java into Android. Oracle President and Chief Financial Officer Safra Catz, who took the stand during trial last year, appeared in court to hear the appellate arguments. She declined to comment outside the courtroom. Google attorney Robert Van Nest also declined to comment. The case examined whether computer language that connects programs -- known as application programming interfaces, or APIs -- can be copyrighted.