🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <HAYDENS.91Nov4091153@natasha.juliet.ll.mit.edu> haydens@juliet.ll.mit.edu writes:
|
| What I'd like an Apple supporter to explain to me is why is it ok for
| Apple to borrow ideas developed by other companies in the creation of
| the Mac, but then to restrict others from incorperating the ideas that
| Apple created into new products? Is your answer that noone has the
| right to borrow ideas from anyone else and that Apple simply got away
| with taking some ideas from Xerox because Xerox didn't sue fast
| enough? Or do you maintain that none of the ideas behind the Mac
| interface came from anywhere but inside Apple (this would seem to
| contradict statements made by Mac developers)? I think that to logically
| maintain support for Apple's position you must answer "yes" to one of
| these questions.

Hi Hayden!

One small point is that Apple and NeXT both licensed some of their
stuff from Xerox, which might be part of the reason that they feel
they are justified in owning the results of having improved Xerox's
stuff. 

The big question is:  What is it legitimate for a company (like Apple)
to claim copyright on?

Many people would probably agree that they should be able to copyright
their icons and the style of how their windows and stuff look.  This
comes from our familiar, traditional copyright law.

Fewer people would agree that they should be able to copyright the way
that their GUI functions.  Please note the difference between
copyrighting the way something looks, and the way that it functions.

Personally, I believe that no one should be allowed to copyright the
function of something -- it is much too restrictive and it doesn't
benefit society.  I do believe that one should be allowed to copyright
one's icons and the exact style of how a window looks (i.e. the
decoration at the top, the scroll bars, close box, zoom box, and
resize box.)

People have said to me that it is unfair for Apple to be able to
copyright their trashcan icon.  This does require that other GUI
developers should use an icon which looks different from Apple's.  I'd
like to know if having it in a different color, a different style, or
with distinctively different markings on it would be reasonable
different? 

I understand that making one in the same color, with the same shape,
aspect ratio, and markings would infringe Apple's copyright, but that
seems reasonable to me.

--Haydn





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;;  *****************************************************
;;  *  Haydn Huntley    huntley@copper.ucs.indiana.edu  *
;;  *                                                   *
;;  *   Member of the League for Programming Freedom.   *
;;  *   For more info, write to league@prep.ai.mit.edu  *
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