For now, it appears that the API Copyright Troll concept is limited to the particular case of Java, software created corporate owners (Sun) who chose to make it free and open source, but was then purchased by a company (Oracle) that has had enormous success in selling licenses and services for the software it developed.

FORBES: Oracle Vs. Google And A New Kind of Patent Troll

So the question of how Oracle can profit from the success of Android and the role of Java in that success now hinges on whether one can assert a copyright on an API.

FORBES: Oracle Vs. Google And A New Kind of Patent Troll