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IANAL, but: Is that the reason behind the racketeering charge?

They've developed a method of systematic theft of IP, which, though technically legal as an isolated incident, shows malicious intent when strung together.

Is that enough to satisfy the charge, or are they still protected?

If the facts bear out, even if what Google allegedly did was legal, it's going to be a terrible thing for Google. No one with any interesting tech will ever want to share info ever again.

This isn't about the single case of the guy getting legally taken away his rights.

The accusation is that Google has a routine set up for doing this, therefore is very much knowingly taking away people's rights against their will.