Google really, REALLY likes to steal stuff.
The Evidence Google’s Systematic Theft is Anti-Competitive
And Google’s systematic theft – is absolutely anti-competitive.
Google – is a monster (Market Cap: $935 billion).
A nearly-$1-trillion company presents a massive anti-competitive, antitrust problem. Just by existing.
Google has its tentacles in nearly everything. So Google’s systemic theft from…everyone – creates an additional, massive anti-competitive, antitrust problem.
How can a small start-up hope to compete with Trillion Dollar Google?
How can a small start-up hope to compete with Trillion Dollar Google – when Google keeps stealing everything they hope to use to compete with Google?
Google steals first – and hires an armada of lawyers later.
The armada of Google lawyers unleash a merciless barrage of legal filings upon the wronged start-up.
The tiny competitor gets overwhelmed by seas of legalese. It can not come close to affording to meet Google’s armada in open court battle.
So time and again, the wronged-by-Google tiny start-up – has to give up. Time and time and time again, Google steals – and walks away unscathed.
It’s high time Google was scathed.
Google doesn’t limit its systemic theft to tiny victims. They are equal opportunity offenders.
And when Google picks on someone who can actually fight back – they MUST be dealt with as harshly as the law will allow.
Especially when Google’s theft is so fundamental to an industry – their getting away with it will existentially damage said industry.
Behold:
“(A) current legal case within the United States related to the nature of computer code and copyright law. The dispute centers on the use of parts of the Java programming language’s application programming interfaces (APIs), which are owned by Oracle, within early versions of the Android operating system by Google.
“Google has admitted to using the APIs, and has since transitioned Android to a copyright-unburdened engine, but claims their original use of the APIs was within fair use.”
Ok – definition of some terms are in order:
“‘Java was created by a team at Sun Microsystems….In 2010,…Oracle acquired Java.
“‘Using Java APIs, developers can create new projects faster because they do not have to develop entirely new code. They can instead use Java APIs in a sort of cut-and-paste fashion, saving them time on grunt work and enabling them to focus more on innovation.’
“Java is ‘free and open’ – which means any and everyone can use it.
“With two conditions:
“You either make free and open – i.e. public – what you developed atop the Java base.
“Or
“You get a license from Oracle to use their Java.
“And here’s a surprise:
“Often, Oracle charges literally nothing for the license.
“All you have to do – is keep the Java software you use compatible. You cannot do anything to it – that might make it no longer play well with Java.
“Google – shocker – did none of the above. They took Oracle’s Java, remade it in their image – and then began playing hide and seek with the courts.”
Google took open source Java – and built upon it. So far, so good.
But then Google sealed off from the world its Java-based creation – and started monopoly-profiting off of the heisted open source technology. So far – no good.
And then Google unleashed its armada of lawyers.
Oracle (Market Cap: $169 billion) is comparatively tiny – compared to massive Google (Market Cap: $935 billion).
But Oracle is no mere new start-up. It has the resources to respond to Google’s heist.
Thank God. Because these court cases take a WHILE. Oracle initially sued Google – on August 13, 2010.
And nine-plus hears hence – it’s still going. And is now headed to the nation’s judicial headwaters. The place where all litigious salmon struggle to arrive – the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court Must Not Let Google’s Theft of Intellectual Property Stand:
“(T)he Supreme Court, which will decide if huge tech firms such as Google are allowed to simply swipe software code without consequence. If permitted, such action will undoubtedly chill software development.
“After all, no one wants to pour resources into the development of new code when it will ultimately just be copied by competitors.
“Google’s innovations have changed the world, in many cases for the worse. As it grows ever larger, it cannot be allowed to bend our rights to its will. It has already eroded the boundaries of our legal privacy. It should not be permitted to rewrite intellectual-property law, as well.”
There are so, SO many instances of Google stealing things – totally free of consequence.
Here we have an opportunity for cosmic justice.
The Supreme Court has Google dead to rights – on Google stealing Oracle’s Intellectual Property (IP).
Google has to be cocky – based upon its decades of scott-free theft.
Imagine how extra-emboldened Google will be – if the Supreme Court gives them its ultimate judicial approval of their scott-free theft.
Google has done the crimes. For decades.
It’s time for the Supreme Court – to finally hold them accountable for SOMETHING.
This first appeared in Red State.