Apple's $5.5 Billion Copyright Suit Suffers Significant Blow

A US appeals court has dealt a significant setback to Apple's 1988 copyright lawsuit against Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, dismissing the case on grounds that most of the screen display was covered by a 1985 licencing agreement. The court ruled that the display's visual symbols and generic ideas are not protected by copyright law, comparing them to video games that receive limited protection. Apple's suit claimed violations of exclusive rights to the symbols and overall appearance of the Macintosh personal computer's screen display.

Key Takeaways:

• The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal judge's dismissal of Apple's $5.5 billion copyright suit against Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard.
• The court ruled that the licencing agreement from 1985, which allowed Microsoft to market a similar product, covered most of the screen display.
• The remaining symbols were deemed to portray generic ideas or functional items, not protected by copyright law.
• The court compared computer display screens to video games, which receive limited copyright protection, rather than works of art.
• Apple can choose to seek further review from a larger appellate panel or the Supreme Court.
• The ruling does not affect the market today, according to an Apple spokeswoman.

Statistics:

• The value of Apple's copyright suit: $5.5 billion
• The year the licencing agreement was signed: 1985
• The number of Apple officials commenting on the ruling: 1 (Betty Taylor, spokeswoman)
• The number of people affected by the ruling: none mentioned
• The number of years since the lawsuit was filed: 34

Sources:

• Associated Press, "Apple's $5.5-billion copyright suit against Microsoft, HP suffers setback"
• Source not explicitly mentioned (for Apple's financial figures and internal communication)