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If APIs cannot have copyright, the GPL is partially moot | 697 comments | Create New Account
Comments belong to whoever posts them. Please notify us of inappropriate comments.
If APIs cannot have copyright, the GPL is partially moot
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, May 07 2012 @ 05:54 PM EDT
The normal programmer definition of an API is the interface between the user and
a library of code that <b>implements</b> the API.

The interface is not copyrightable - a collection of facts.
The implementation is copyrightable - a library of code.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

If APIs cannot have copyright, the GPL is partially moot
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, May 07 2012 @ 06:36 PM EDT
Think of the APIs as specs or as header files. It's the library code which is
copyrighted -- the implementation rather than the declaration. If you LINK to
the LIBRARIES your code is covered by the GPL. Except of course for the
libraries which implement standards GNU didn't create. That was what my
programming teacher told me originally. If it can ONLY be compiled with GCC it
is a derived work.

jplatt39 not signed in.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

If APIs cannot have copyright, the GPL is partially moot
Authored by: jjs on Monday, May 07 2012 @ 10:17 PM EDT
The GPL on the Linux kernel is on the source code, NOT the API. The API is
pretty much POSIX, which is an international standard.

The other software under GPL depends on protection of source code, not API, as
well.

So if Judge Alsup rules the API SSO is not copyrightable, it puts all the GPL
code in the situation it is in right now - no loss.

---
(Note IANAL, I don't play one on TV, etc, consult a practicing attorney, etc,
etc)

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

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