
APIs Have Been Copyrightable for 22 Years - apievangelist
http://apivoice.com/2012/05/14/apis-have-been-copyrightable-for-22-years/
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warmfuzzykitten
Of course, APIs are copyrightable. Anything written is copyrightable. The
question is, what exactly does that mean? If another API uses the same method,
type and package names, but has everything that is insignificant to a compiler
- the parameter names, order of methods, comments, etc. - different, is that
the same expression of the "ideas" embodied in the original or a new
expression? Is the .class file version of an API covered by the copyright of
the original or a new expression? Can copyright be construed so broadly that
it prevents any implementation of the API without permission from the
copyright holder?

