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Subject:Re: Web Legal Issues From:"Walker, Arlen P" <Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 7 Jan 1999 15:23:46 -0600
HTML is virtually the same thing as reveal and formatting codes used
in Word Processors. It is a language to describe how things look and
behave on a page and that is NOT something you can copyright.
This is one of the great misunderstandings about HTML. HTML is a language.
That means that HTML, as a language cannot be copyrighted. And it also
means that anything written in HTML *can* be copyrighted, just the same as
anything written in English (or C) can be copyrighted.
Look and feel has a long history of being upheld in copyright cases. I
wouldn't want to bet against it on the Web.
Have fun,
Arlen
Chief Managing Director In Charge, Department of Redundancy Department
DNRC 224
Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com
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In God we trust; all others must provide data.
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Opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.
If JCI had an opinion on this, they'd hire someone else to deliver it.