2 ms·
Could this project be threatened by Mathworks if SCOTUS rules that APIs themselves get copyright?
by curt15 6y ago
Could this project be threatened by Mathworks if SCOTUS rules that APIs themselves get copyright?
- qayxc 6y agoI don't think so. I imagine it would be very hard for Mathworks to claim copyright over mathematical functions and established terms such as "fft" or "rms". On top of that, Octave isn't even in competition with MATLAB. The much higher performance and capabilities offered by MATLAB that aren't available in Octave (like C++ export including support for GPU acceleration) along with professional support are enough to keep the target audience from considering Octave over MATLAB. Octave isn't encroaching on MATLAB sales, so I don't think such ruling would be an issue as I doubt that Mathworks would even consider legal action. Even if they would for whatever bizarre reason, it'd be sufficient to just change the names and parameters of some functions - lots of work, sure but ultimately not too big an issue. A script could be used to translate between the dialects and people using Octave over MATLAB would continue to do so, since their motivation for choosing Octave wouldn't change due to this. At least that's what I think.
- srtjstjsj 6y agoChanging names isn't a way around a copyright violation.