Other than just wanting to be able to copy other people's work as they often do all the time anyway, I'm not sure I understand major tech giants' argument as to why APIs would not be copyrightable. They are, if anything, much harder to make well than their implementations.
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Suggesting that somehow figuring out the correct way to design something is less important than having filled in the functions with their (usually obvious) implementation is frankly rather absurd. If you want to argue _none_ of it is copyrightable, go ahead...
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But arguing that somehow APIs are less important or less worth IP protection than other types of code dramatically undervalues how important systems design is relative to implementation. If forced to pick, I'd actually claim the opposite (APIs copyrighted, implementations not).
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This is because in my experience, the vast majority of my time as a programmer on a novel problem is spent figuring out how it should be broken down. Once I know that, the implementation is usually relatively simple.
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Replying to @cmuratori
I agree that the design of the API is more important than the implementation, but i think the practical consequences of copyrighting an API means less competition overall - A new database engine has a harder time if they're not allowed to provide some kind of SQL compatibility
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Replying to @t_cheng_1
But that argument actually applies to all IP protection that currently exists for software, so I'm not sure why it should apply to APIs specifically? A new phone has a harder time if it doesn't copy Apple's UI. A new database has a harder time if it can't use a patented algo...
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Replying to @cmuratori @t_cheng_1
The point is not that there aren't drawbacks to copyrighting APIs, the point is that nobody seems to offer a compelling reason why _only APIs_ don't get protection. If _nothing_ had protection, I'd agree APIs shouldn't either. But it seems very strange to single them out.
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Replying to @cmuratori @t_cheng_1
Ability to exactly clone _always_ increases competition. Yet we almost never allow it anywhere. But people claim API cloning is great - well, if that's true, why don't those arguments apply everywhere? That's what I'm not hearing.
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Replying to @cmuratori @t_cheng_1
Another way to say it would be that if you don't think APIs should be protected, you similarly don't think competition between APIs is important. Because why would a company compete on APIs if they can't protect them?
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And if that's the case (as argued), then maybe that has something to do with why APIs are currently awful?
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