Google has won a major court battle with software firm Oracle after a jury ruled, Google did not unfairly use parts of the Java programming language.

Oracle had argued that Google had broken its copyright and had sought nearly $9bn in damages. Software developers feared that a victory for Oracle might encourage more such legal actions.

Google used Java programming code in its Android phone operating system, that  powers about 80% of the world's mobile devices. The company had argued the extended copyright protection to pieces of code called APIs (application programming interfaces) would threaten innovation.

A jury in California’s Northern District federal court declared that Google's use of copyright-protected code in Android was fair use and the Java elements as they were only a part of a larger system Google had created for a new purpose.

"Today's verdict that Android makes fair use of Java APIs represents a win for the Android ecosystem, for the Java programming community, and for software developers who rely on open and free programming languages to build innovative consumer products," a Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The legal battle was started in 2010 and the two firms first faced each other in court in May 2012. A federal judge ruled against Oracle, the company then appealed. After legal wrangling, the case was sent back to court.

Oracle lawyer Dorian Daley said, he would pursue the matter further. "We strongly believe that, Google developed Android by illegally copying core Java technology to rush into the mobile device market,"

"Oracle brought this lawsuit to put a stop to Google's illegal behavior. We believe there are numerous grounds for appeal and we plan to bring this case back to the federal circuit on appeal." Dorian Daley said.

- Mayuka.