Software functionality not subject to copyright: EU court

WPL-vs-SAS case gets Court of Justice opinion

[Leosghost]

In a far-reaching decision for the software industry, the European Court of Justice has decided that the functionality of software – as distinct from the actual code – is not covered by copyright.

story [theregister.co.uk...]

Popcorn..

yes it isn't about content as we would normally think of it ..but not all content is "on page"..and it is about "copyright"

[rogerd]

The court has decided that functionality, absent any viewing or copying of code, cannot be protected by copyright: “to accept that the functionality of a computer program can be protected by copyright would amount to making it possible to monopolise ideas, to the detriment of technological progress and industrial development,” the judgment states.

But those ideas (if original) can be protected by patent. One-click-ordering and swipe-to-unlock are patented ideas, however obvious they might be, and are (apparently) protected even if coded in a totally different manner.

Product features that aren't innovative hardly deserve to protected from use by others, and it seems like that's what the court concluded here.

I am, of course, not a lawyer.

[Leosghost]

But you are in the USA..hence this

But those ideas (if original) can be protected by patent. One-click-ordering and swipe-to-unlock are patented ideas, however obvious they might be, and are (apparently) protected even if coded in a totally different manner.

part of your post ;-)

Not shooting the messenger nor the piano player here rogerd :-)..just putting it "the content" of "the message" you posted, in "patent lawyers/ USPTO land" "cultural" context..in the same way as the patent lawyers/ USPTO put their koolaid in the milk of babies born in the USA..

Posted in a text box which fortunately does not have "rounded corners"..nor an "i" or a "face" prefix ..