http://qs321.pair.com?node_id=968496


in reply to Re: Copyright on languages
in thread Copyright on languages

On the plus side, Judge Alsup seems extremely competent. He's not a programmer, but he's very keen on making sure he and the jury understand what they need to know. Daily, he's instructing the lawyers about what still needs to have explained. For example, he said "It has been said that there is an elaborate series of relationships amongst the APIs. Want to learn more about how programmers use the APIs." (Again, this may not be his exact words.)

The judge has decided he will be ruling on the Copyrightability of the API (since it's a question of law).

Among other things, the jury will decide whether Google's use of the APIs is fair use should they be covered by Copyright. (The judge will instruct the jury that the APIs are covered by Copyright.) Noone on the jury works in IT.