Apr 14, 2020 - Technology

Supreme Court leaves Oracle-Google dispute in limbo

Scott Rosenberg

Photo: Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A long-running legal showdown between Oracle and Google over whether common interfaces between software programs can be protected by copyright looks like it will drag on for months longer.

Driving the news: The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it would take up a handful of cases from its spring term docket via teleconference, meaning those cases — including several relating to President Trump's business records — could be decided on their original schedule, despite the disruptions of the coronavirus shutdown.

The closely watched Oracle/Google case did not make the teleconferencing list, leaving it in limbo.

Why it matters: Industry observers view the case as having potentially wide impact on the intellectual property landscape of the tech industry and the future of software interoperability.

What's next: Assuming the court punts hearing the case until the fall term, it could be another six months before the dispute reaches a conclusion.

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Supreme Court leaves Oracle-Google dispute in limbo

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