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decided in 1879. Obviously, that suit didn’t involve a smartphone platform, but it did define the limits of copyright and explain how a copyright differs from a patent. In that dispute, Charles Selden had au-thored and copyrighted a book laying out a meth-od of bookkeeping. The book included some blank forms that could be used to implement the system. Later, W.C.Mof forms to implement Selden’s method that were. Baker began marketing his own set
very similar to those in Selden’s book.ment—explained in the opinion, she was trying to use copy-right to protect the ideas contained in Selden’s book. Selden’s widow sued Baker for copyright infringe-and lost. Basically, Justice Joseph Bradley
“sky-is-falling” arguments, they write, the software Mspawn any dire consequences. Despite Google’s industry did not crash in the wake of Mmock the notion that the rulings in its favor will shortly before bringing this suit.) Oracle’s lawyers the Federal Circuit issued the two key rulings that Google seeks to reverse.arch 2018, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for In fact, Oracle has enjoyed fervent support from ay 2014 or
headquarters in Mountainbe the nine chairman and co-founder, U.S. Supreme Court whoAbove: Ultimately, it maySdeteGoolecott McNealy, in 2009;fof the copyrit: betgGoorminSle. Opposite, from un MicrosystemswView, eegejle’s corporateustices o^ tn hFAIR UOeC^ routcoacgaliht case lfeorniaf^ Sa the mnEd?e.^ ’ BSA, the Software Alliance, which counts companies faces, the key Supremlike Adobe, Apple and IBM among its members.its own friend-of-the-court briefs, including one from Remarkably, for a case about software inter-e Court precedent was“THE COPYRIGHT AN EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO THE ... CANNOT GIVE TO THE AUTHOR METHODS OF OPERATION.”
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