News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Amazon DocumentDB, with MongoDB compatibility. Parent comment

Re:Amazon DocumentDB, with MongoDB compatibility by int_19h on Thursday January 10, 2019 @02:39AM (#18872199)
An API is just a collection of facts of the form, "if the system gets input X, the system produces output Y". And facts shouldn't be copyrightable.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Amazon DocumentDB, with MongoDB compatibility by deanCommie on Thursday January 10, 2019 @07:23AM (#18873341)
You could describe inventions as "facts" too, are you saying that inventions shouldn't be patentable as well?

Maybe the fundamental properties of the universe aren't copyrightable/trademarkable/patentable, but what you CHOOSE to do with those - what API you design or what widget you build out of it certainly is.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Amazon DocumentDB, with MongoDB compatibility by int_19h on Thursday January 10, 2019 @07:03PM (#18879781)
Patents and copyrights are two very different things, though. I don't know if APIs are patentable, but that's a very different question. Has anybody ever successfully patented an API?
[ Parent | on HN ]