In the second phase of the high-profile Oracle-Google intellectual property trial in San Francisco, the 10-member federal jury unanimously ruled that Google had not infringed on Oracle’s Java patents for developing its Android mobile operating system.

Incidentally, the same jury has ruled in the first phase of the trial that Google had infringed on Oracle’s Java copyrights; but the members had, at that time, failed to reach a consensus about whether Google’s copying of the Java code for its Android OS could be taken as “fair use.”

Almost immediately after the jury’s latest verdict that Google did not violate the two patents at dispute, US District Judge William Alsup - who presided over the trial - dismissed the jury from the case, and also called off the third, damages-related, phase of the trial.

The judge also said he may issue a verdict next on whether Oracle’s Java application programming interfaces – which involve the software tools around which the case has been pivoting – can be copyrighted.

Meanwhile, in reaction to the jury’s verdict, Catherine Lacavera - Google’s director of litigation - said in an e-mailed statement that the jury’s finding that Android does not breach Oracle’s patents marked a victory not only for Google, but also for “the entire Android ecosystem.”

On the other hand, Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger said in response to the jury’s ruling that Oracle had presented “overwhelming evidence” at trial that Google was aware of the fact that “it would fragment and damage Java.”