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<P>In my view, an API is as much a collection of facts as your original message, as Stephen King's latest novel, etc. I think in most cases an API involves creative expression or at least some selection, arrangement or coordination of function names, parameter type(s) and return type(s) (of course I am not talking about the simple abstract concept of an API; I am talking about a set of developed APIs). Surely if an API is just one function then you have a de minimis problem. But let's take the Java API. Taking U.S. law as an example, I would think that after you take whatever material (functions, return types, parameter types, parameter names, etc.) that is not copyrightable (by virtue of, for example, the merger doctrine(the idea and expression merged into one and there is no other way of expressing it), the scenes a faire doctrine (only so many ways of expressing the idea) and being in the public domain) there would be a great deal of material left over that involved creative expression or at least serious selection, coordination, or arrangement. For copyright to attach only minimal originality is needed. I can't see the argument flying that the Java API is like a purely alphabetical white pages.</P>
<P>I think the real question is not whether an API is copyrightable but how an API is infringed and what is a derivative work of an API.<BR></P></DIV>
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<DIV></DIV>>From: "Forrest J Cavalier III"<FORREST@MIBSOFTWARE.COM>
<DIV></DIV>>Reply-To: <A href="mailto:forrest@mibsoftware.com">forrest@mibsoftware.com</A>
<DIV></DIV>>To:<LICENSE-DISCUSS@OPENSOURCE.ORG>
<DIV></DIV>>CC: forrest@mibsoftware.com
<DIV></DIV>>Subject: copyrightable APIs? (was RE: namespace protection compatible wit
<DIV></DIV>>Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 07:50:06 -0400
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>How can you copyright an API? Isn't it simply a
<DIV></DIV>>collection of facts?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Perhaps you could copyright the formal parameter
<DIV></DIV>>names, and certainly the documentation in a header
<DIV></DIV>>file.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>But the facts of
<DIV></DIV>> function name,
<DIV></DIV>> return type(s)
<DIV></DIV>> parameter type(s)
<DIV></DIV>>are just facts. There is no creative expression involved.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Forrest J. Cavalier III, Mib Software Voice 570-992-8824
<DIV></DIV>>http://www.rocketaware.com/ has over 30,000 links to
<DIV></DIV>>source, libraries, functions, applications, and documentation.
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