User interface copyright

(This section is copied from the GCC manual, by Richard Stallman.)

This section is a political message from the League for Programming Freedom to the users of the GNU font utilities. It is included here as an expression of support for the League on my part.

Apple, Lotus and Xerox are trying to create a new form of legal monopoly: a copyright on a class of user interfaces. These monopolies would cause serious problems for users and developers of computer software and systems.

Until a few years ago, the law seemed clear: no one could restrict others from using a user interface; programmers were free to implement any interface they chose. Imitating interfaces, sometimes with changes, was standard practice in the computer field. The interfaces we know evolved gradually in this way; for example, the Macintosh user interface drew ideas from the Xerox interface, which in turn drew on work done at Stanford and SRI. 1-2-3 imitated VisiCalc, and dBase imitated a database program from JPL.

Most computer companies, and nearly all computer users, were happy with this state of affairs. The companies that are suing say it does not offer "enough incentive" to develop their products, but they must have considered it "enough" when they made their decision to do so. It seems they are not satisfied with the opportunity to continue to compete in the marketplace--not even with a head start.

If Xerox, Lotus, and Apple are permitted to make law through the courts, the precedent will hobble the software industry:

• Gratuitous incompatibilities will burden users. Imagine if each car manufacturer had to arrange the pedals in a different order.
• Software will become and remain more expensive. Users will be "locked in" to proprietary interfaces, for which there is no real competition.
• Large companies have an unfair advantage wherever lawsuits become commonplace. Since they can easily afford to sue, they can intimidate small companies with threats even when they don't really have a case.
• User interface improvements will come slower, since incremental evolution through creative imitation will no longer be permitted.
• Even Apple, etc., will find it harder to make improvements if they can no longer adapt the good ideas that others introduce, for fear of weakening their own legal positions. Some users suggest that this stagnation may already have started.
• If you use GNU software, you might find it of some concern that user interface copyright will make it hard for the Free Software Foundation to develop programs compatible with the interfaces that you already know.