An intellectual property lawsuit that could change the landscape of software development got a big jolt of life on Friday. The case involves Oracle, an IT company that in 2010 acquired the copyrights for the Java programming knowledge that is used in the framework of many programs and websites.

In 2010, Oracle filed suit against Google, alleging that the giant software company had infringed upon its Java copyrights by using seven Java APIs (application programming interfaces) in the coding of its Android operating system. Since then, Android has become the most widely used mobile operating system on the planet, with nearly 50 percent of all mobile devices running on the programming.

Oracle sued Google because it wanted compensation for the role Java had played in the success of Android, but Google claimed that APIs were little more than protocols or methods used to “perform a task.” Since such methods or techniques are not covered under intellectual property laws, Google argued that it had no responsibility to compensate Oracle for the use of Java APIs. In 2012, courts sided with Google and the lawsuit seemed to wither away and die.

But according to an article published by eweek.com on Friday, things began to shift in December, when a court of appeals judge reasoned that APIs were more than just software building techniques, but tools that programmers could use to construct their software. Under that description, APIs could actually be protected under copyright law, and Google would be responsible for compensating Oracle for using Java tools.

On Friday, that ruling became more concrete when three judges overturned the 2012 ruling in the Oracle vs. Google case, effectively giving Oracle the right to seek legal action. The judges stated that Java’s APIs were vital to the coding of Android, and that Google could have easily written its own API packages based on Java’s programming language, but “chose not to do so.”

Undoubtedly, the search engine corporation won’t make that same mistake again, but the company may have little recourse now other than to face another lawsuit with Oracle. If Oracle wins a verdict or settlement from Google, the outcome could completely change the way that computer programmers use Java in their code.