Interfaces on Trial 3.0
Mr. Band had completed the final version of the third volume of a history of the global legal debate concerning copyright and competition in the software industry: Interfaces on Trial 3.0: Google v. Oracle America and Beyond. It includes a detailed discussion of the decade-long litigation between Oracle and Google that culminated in the Supreme Court's decision on April 5, 2021. It is available for free download here.
The debate has centered on two related issues. First, does copyright protect the elements of computer programs necessary to achieve interoperability? Second, to the extent that those elements are unprotectable, can copyright law nevertheless prevent the copying incidental to uncovering those unprotectable elements?
The first volume, written with Masanobu Katoh, was published by Westview Press in 1995. Interfaces on Trial received favorable reviews in 3 International Journal of Law and Information Technology 198 (1995), 15 Journal of International Law and Business 707 (1995), 20 New Matter 35 (1995), 9 Harvard Journal of Law and Technology 585 (1996), and 7 Law and Politics Book Review 206 (May 1997). You obtain a copy here:
The second volume, also written with Masanobu Katoh, was published by MIT Press in 2011. It covers the developments in this field between 1995 and 2010. You can download a free copy here:
The third volume picks up where the second volume left off, focusing in particular on Google v. Oracle America. This volume also has chapters on other U.S. litigation between 2010 and 2021; interoperability in the Copyright Office; and foreign developments.
Praise for Interfaces on Trial 2.0:
"a very valuable contribution to the literature on interoperability..."
"...a model for engaged scholarship..."
"...of great interest not only to specialists but also to general readers interested in the future of technology policy."
"...the authors succeed in making difficult, technical, or abstract concepts clear and concrete."
Praise for Interfaces on Trial:
"...a well written, thoroughly researched history of the interoperability debate...."
"...a book that scholars, lawyers, and business professionals can find informative, interesting and useful...."
"...a readable account of a fascinating debate...."
"...an important and timely contribution to the field...."
"... a useful framework for understanding and analyzing the computer interface interoperability debate...."
"Band and Katoh are especially adept at making complex legal and technical issues understandable."