The Uneasy Case for Software Copyrights Revisited

37 Pages Posted: 5 Nov 2012

See all articles by Pamela Samuelson

Pamela Samuelson

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law

Date Written: September 2011

Abstract

Forty years ago, Justice Stephen Breyer expressed serious doubts about the economic soundness of extending copyright protection to computer programs in his seminal article, "The Uneasy Case for Copyright." This article revisits "The Uneasy Case" to consider whether Breyer's skepticism about copyright for computer programs was warranted at the time, as well as whether the case for copyrighting computer programs has become easier over time.

Keywords: copyrights, software

Suggested Citation

Samuelson, Pamela, The Uneasy Case for Software Copyrights Revisited (September 2011). George Washington Law Review, Vol. 79, 2010-2011, UC Berkeley Public Law Research Paper No. 2171451, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2171451

Pamela Samuelson (Contact Author)

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law ( email )

Boalt Hall
341 North Addition
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
United States
(510) 642-6775 (Phone)
(510) 643-2673 (Fax)

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