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I have questions about Java licensing Well, after many court hearings with Oracle vs Google, I analyzed this topic again and I would like to ask you about a few things:

  • Oracle was accusing Google of copying the Java API SOURCE CODE and API documentation, not of using the API itself, right? Does this mean that if I want to make a different version of Java (all the same, just all java. * Packages aren't called java. * Just anothername. *) Then does that violate Oracle's rights as well? Do I have to rely on openJDK and the GNU GPL to do this?
  • Is Java owned by Oracle as a language (including API)? It's not that they control it (make changes etc) or that they have a trademark for the word "Java". Can only they fork it to a different name and use all APIs outside of the Java ecosystem?
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    Most of the individuals posting here are not lawyers. Please don't be disappointed if you are not receiving responses with meaningful answers or with comments on (interpretations of) US court cases. The topic would deserve more space than the average answer here. For those not so familiar with the case, here is a short summary en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_LLC_v._Oracle_America,_Inc.
    – Martin_in_AUT
    Dec 23, 2021 at 13:01
  • Note that these very questions were discussed by the legal community for 11 years … and they didn't even come to an answer! The Supreme Court did not actually decide the question! They ruled that the question whether or not Oracle holds the copyrights is irrelevant, because if they don't, then Google didn't violate anything, and if they do, then Google acted under fair use. So, the actual question of the court case, whether or not Oracle even holds the copyrights in the first place, has still not been answered after over 11 years.
    – Jörg W Mittag
    Dec 28, 2021 at 9:15
  • This is country specific. Courts don't give the same decision in California, in France, in Germany. See also APRIL and RefPerSys. Contact me (a software developer) by email to basile@starynkevitch.net or at office www-list.cea.fr to basile.starynkevitch@cea.fr but I am not a lawyer
    – Basile Starynkevitch
    Dec 31, 2021 at 12:10

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