This work analyses the scope of copyright protection for computer software in the United Kingdom, and examines challenges for the future. The work presents the case for the adoption and application of infringement methodology emanating from the courts in the United States, resulting in a narrower scope of protection than is presently argued for by many UK academics, practitioners and judges alike. The work makes a careful evaluation of the efficacy of the various prevailing tests for infringement of copyright in software and their progenies, suggesting an improved formula and advocating the utility of limiting doctrines to assist in the determination of substantial similarity of particular non-literal software elements, user interfaces and screen display protection. The monograph also contains a detailed study of reverse engineering, copyright defences, permitted acts, database protection and the copyright-contract interface in the context of computer software, including crucial discussions of the internet, digital dissemination and the impact of recent treaty and legislative initiatives on British copyright law. As such it will be an important resource for practitioners, lecturers and students alike.
Author(s): Stanley Lai
Year: 2000
Language: English
Pages: 320
Title Page......Page 1
Title verso......Page 2
Contents......Page 3
Acknowledgements......Page 9
Table of Cases......Page 11
Table of Legislation......Page 21
Table of EU Directives......Page 27
Table of International Instruments......Page 29
II. ISSUES FOR INVESTIGATION......Page 31
III. APPROACH......Page 35
IV. PROPOSED INFRINGEMENT METHODOLOGY......Page 36
V. JUSTIFICATIONS......Page 37
VI. THE RELEVANCE OF COMPETITION LAW......Page 38
VII. METHOD AND PLAN......Page 39
Part 1: Subsistence of Copyright and Infringement Methodology......Page 41
II. SUBSISTENCE OF COPYRIGHT......Page 43
III. THE IDEA/EXPRESSION DICHOTOMY......Page 51
IV. INFRINGEMENT METHODOLOGY: A PRESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF SUBSTANTIAL SIMILARITY......Page 54
V. SUMMARY OF TRENDS IN US INFRINGEMENT METHODOLOGY......Page 64
VI. CONCLUSION......Page 70
II. MERGER DOCTRINE......Page 71
III. MERGER AND SOFTWARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTION......Page 76
IV. THE SCENES À FAIRE DOCTRINE......Page 82
V. THE POSITION OF SCENES À FAIRE IN ENGLISH LAW......Page 84
VI. SOFTWARE COPYRIGHT: THE RELEVANCE OF SCENES À FAIRE......Page 87
VII. CONCLUSION......Page 90
Part 2: The Scope of Copyright Protection of User Interfaces......Page 93
I. INTRODUCTION......Page 95
II. COPYRIGHT PROTECTION OF USER INTERFACES IN THE USA: A SURVEY OF RECENT CASES AND DETERMINATION OF PROTECTABLE ELEMENTS......Page 97
III. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ON USER INTERFACE PROTECTION IN THE USA AND ITS IMPACT ON UK SOFTWARE COPYRIGHT LAW......Page 107
IV. PROTECTION OF SCREEN DISPLAYS UNDER UK COPYRIGHT LAW......Page 110
V. POLICY/ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATIONS......Page 113
VI. CONCLUSION......Page 116
II. PROTECTION OF VIDEO GAMES IN THE USA......Page 117
III. PROTECTION OF VIDEO GAMES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM......Page 119
IV. CONCLUSION......Page 121
Part 3: Reverse Engineering and Defences......Page 123
I. INTRODUCTION......Page 125
II. THE SOFTWARE DIRECTIVE AND REVERSE ENGINEERING......Page 127
III. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SOFTWARE DIRECTIVE IN THE CDPA......Page 133
IV. REVERSE ENGINEERING IN THE USA......Page 136
V. REVERSE ENGINEERING UNDER US AND UK COPYRIGHT LAWS:POINTS OF CONTRAST......Page 145
VI. COMMONWEALTH DEVELOPMENTS......Page 149
VII. CONCLUSION......Page 154
II. SECTION 29 CDPA: FAIR DEALING FOR RESEARCH AND PRIVATE STUDY AND ITS CONTINUED RELEVANCE FOR UK SOFTWARE COPYRIGHT LAW......Page 157
III. BACK-UP COPIES......Page 166
IV. ERROR-CORRECTION AND MAINTENANCE......Page 167
V. MISCELLANEOUS EXCEPTIONS: OTHER PERMITTED ACTS......Page 169
VI. CONCLUSION......Page 174
Part 4: Challenges for the Future......Page 177
II. COPYRIGHT ISSUES AND THE WWW: APPLICABLE PROVISIONS OF THE CDPA......Page 179
III. THE DIGITAL AGENDA......Page 184
IV. CONCLUSION......Page 189
II. DEFINITIONAL SIGNIFICANCE......Page 191
III. COPYRIGHT PROTECTION OF DATABASES......Page 192
IV. THE FUTURE OF COMPUTER-GENERATED WORKS......Page 193
V. THE NEW DATABASE RIGHT......Page 194
VI. IMPACT OF DATABASE COPYRIGHT PROVISIONS ON SOFTWARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTION......Page 195
VII. CONCLUSION......Page 198
II. SHRINK-WRAP LICENSING......Page 199
III. IMPLIED LICENCES AND USERS’ RIGHTS IN SOFTWARE TRANSACTIONS......Page 214
IV. CONCLUSION......Page 224
11. General Conclusion......Page 227
II. THE DIGITAL AGENDA......Page 228
IV. THE INTERFACE BETWEEN CONTRACT AND COPYRIGHT......Page 229
Appendix......Page 231
Index......Page 269
