discourages copyrighted API is – digi.no

A wide variety of computer scientists, several of which must be regarded as pioneers in their field, have signed an amicus curiae note to US Supreme Court where it argued against a decision that programming interfaces, or APIs should be covered by copyright.

– The undersigned has been addicted decades of custom which has recognized the open nature of the API is, which has allowed them to etc, are implementing these APIs to create new software. The undersigned depends and expects the inherent openness of APIs to support innovation from both startup companies and market leaders, according to the note.

Amicus curiae notes are intended as information or views to a court from someone who is not a party in a particular case.

In this case it is right battle between Oracle and Google about the latter use of Java APIs in Android Dalvik engine it’s all about. In May ruled the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington that the structure to the API is protected by copyright, contrary to the outcome of the first straight round. Google appealed in October this decision to the Supreme Court.

The researchers believe that the Federal Circuits have undermined the established expectations on a dangerous manner.

EFF
It is the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which has taken the initiative to the note, which was signed by 77 computer scientists. The list is mildly impressive and includes people who, alone or together with others has created programming languages ​​and systems that AppleScript, AWK, C ++, Haskell, IBM S / 360, Java, JavaScript, Lotus 1-2-3, MS-DOS, Python, RAID, RISC, Scala, Smalltalk, TCP / IP, Unix and Wiki, ie inventors Vint Cerf, Brendan Eich, Brian Kernighan, Bjarne Stroustrup and Ken Thompson.

It should however be noted that more than a handful of the 77 people on the list today are Google employees. Their independence of the court case can thus be discussed.

– Federal Circuits decision was incorrect and dangerous for technological innovation, says Corynne McSherry, director of intellectual property EFF, in a statement.

– To exclude APIs from copyright protection has been essential for the development of modern computers and the internet.

In the note listed a number of widely used technologies that probably would not have been created or received such widespread if copyright API had been enforced. This includes BIOS, the original IBM-compatible PC, reimplementeringen UNIX API in modern operating systems, programming language C, a variety of basic networking technologies – including “sockets” and HTTP, as well as general software that creates compatibility across different systems .