CEO DATELINE - Media groups urge Supreme Court to reject Google fair use claim
CEO DATELINE - Media groups urge Supreme Court to reject Google fair use claim
- October 8, 2020 |
-
Walt Williams
Associations representing news publishers and the entertainment industry are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to rule against Google in a case involving questions of fair use, saying that a victory for the tech giant could destroy their members' business models.
Consider joining CEO Update. Membership gives full access to the latest intelligence on association management, career advancement, compensation trends and networking events, as well as hundreds of listings for senior-level association jobs.
The court on Wednesday heard oral arguments in Google v. Oracle, in which Google is defending its decision to copy roughly 11,000 lines of code from Oracle's Java software to develop its Android operating system for smartphones, according to an opinion column about the case appearing in the Washington Times. Google says the copying is allowed under the fair use doctrine, which permits the duplication of copyrighted materials under limited circumstances.
A host of industries that produce intellectual property argue that if Google wins the case, that would open the door to their materials to be used and sold without their consent. A coalition of music industry groups ranging from the Recording Industry Association of America to the National Music Publishers' Association filed an amicus brief saying a ruling in Google's favor would allow companies to use their members' music without licensing, the Times noted.
Media groups also are sounding the alarm, with the News Media Alliance—which represents newspapers and other news publishers—saying a favorable ruling for Google would allow the tech giant to erode other intellectual property protections.
However, other associations presenting the tech industry are backing Google in the fight. The Computer & Communications Industry Association and Internet Association have filed amicus briefs saying a victory for Oracle would hurt the computing industry, according to the tech news site The Verge. The Auto Care Association has also weighed in favor of Google; the independent auto parts manufacturers and retailers ACA represents have been engaged in a long fight with automakers over non-branded parts used in vehicles.
MORE CEO DATELINE