Java raises the stakes in its lawsuit with Android

Oracle is looking to recoup a significantly higher sum than present when it returns to the courtroom opposite Google in the coming weeks.

First reported by PC World, Oracle wants to update its lawsuit concerning Google's use of Java in Android to reflect the monumental gains made by the world's number mobile operating system over the past five years.

Oracle reportedly holds some new information, which could bolster its argument against Google's assertion that Java is protected by "fair use" and can be copied to a certain extent.

"It is in 80% of smartphones, in tablets, in televisions, on wearables, and even in cars," Oracle's lawyers wrote. "Android now has a billion users; Google reaps untold profits from these users through a variety of means."

Whilst this has been happening, Oracle, by its own admission, "has suffered more than ever" and the company hopes that this, combined with other factors, will help its argument against fair use to succeed.

Started back in 2010

The original case was filed back in 2010 and it took three years before a San Francisco jury decided that Google had, indeed, infringed Oracle's copyright but was split on the fair use argument.

By the time the ultimate decision is made, Java could be a very different animal. One of the chief architects behind the platform explained that it could become modular as early as next year when Java 9 gets its release.

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