Name: Lotus Development Corporation v. Borland International, Inc.
Cite: 49 F.3d 807
Cite: 49 F.3d 807
- Facts: Borland International released a spreadsheet product called Quattro Pro that imitated the menu system that was present in the popular Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet software. In addition to using the menu system present in the Lotus software, Quattro also utilized a number of macros and key assignments that were used in the Lotus software. Lotus made the argument that by using an imitation menu from their product, Borland had infringed on the copyright on the “look and feel†of the Lotus 1-2-3 software. Lotus sued Borland for copyright infringement.
- Procedural History: The district court ruled in favor of Lotus, finding that Borland did infringe on the Lotus 1-2-3 copyright by copying the menu system directly. Borland International appealed this decision.
- Issue: Whether the menu system of a piece of software should be afforded copyright protection.
- Holding: The appellate court overruled the district courts holding. Specifically holding that the “menu†system of the software was so general to software of this type that it was not copyrightable. The court stated that the set of available operations and the mechanics of how they are activated were not copyrightable. The court distinguished the difference between the interface of a piece of software and implementation. The court held that the implementation of a program is copyrightable but the interface of a program is not (with exceptions for specific art-based interfaces.).