Business Law Case Study: Copyright Infringement in Apple vs. Microsoft

This case study examines the Apple vs. Microsoft copyright infringement case, focusing on the legal battle over the graphical user interface (GUI). The paper delves into the core issue of copyright infringement, specifically concerning the Windows operating system's similarity to the Macintosh. The analysis includes a discussion of the legal issues, the application of the merger doctrine, and the court's decision. The case study answers questions about Microsoft's actions and the impact of the merger doctrine, ultimately highlighting the importance of copyright laws and the implications of licensing agreements. The study concludes with lessons learned regarding copyright infringement and the importance of clear legal terms. This assignment is available on Desklib, a platform providing AI-powered study tools and resources for students, including past papers and solved assignments.

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Case Study about Business Law
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Case Study about Business Law: Chapter 7
Copyrights are established to protect the creations of music, arts and literature, as long as
the works in question are tangible. The rights in question are granted and managed by the
Copyright office in America (Libson & Parchomovsky, 2019). Trademarks refer to a logo,
symbol, word, design or phrase which companies use to represent its brand (Altman, 2018). One
of the legal requirements is that trademarks should be unique to avoid unfair competition in the
market. In most cases, lawsuits arise from copyright infringement, inaccurate details, plagiarism
and details surrounding the true event (Northover, 2016). In such cases, copyright infringement
is one of the concerns which require legal redress. This paper presents a case study on Apple vs.
Microsoft copyright infringement.
What the case is about
The Apple vs. Microsoft case is about copyright infringement which is covered under the
business law area. The battle between Apple and Microsoft revolves around the notion about the
major player who developed the graphical user interface (GUI). The firm in control of the
product of the key OS will have the capacity to fix the criteria for the software application.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Apple focused its efforts towards trying to prevent the provider
of the Windows OS from being the chief operating system. It appeared that despite Microsoft
assisted in the development of Macintosh, Jean-Louis Gassee did not permit the company to
utilize the software. As a result, Bill Gates focused on including additional featured to the
Macintosh’s early prototypes. Subsequently, Gassee saw the final software and was enraged.
However, since he did not require a lawsuit, he agreed to provide a license for the Mac’s visual
displays. However, the version 2.0 of the Windows operating system seemed to be alike. In this

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case, Gassee considered it to go against the agreement since he allowed the software to be
utilized for the 1.0 version rather than the latter versions. Due to this, Apple reported a copyright
violation case against Microsoft in 1988 (Jobson, Nercessian & Ludmer, 2018).
Legal Issue
The legal issue presented in the circumstance of Apple vs. Microsoft was that of
copyright infringement. In this case, Apple included 189 displays which it argued that it violated
its copyright (Jobson, Nercessian & Ludmer, 2018).
The Chosen Case with question for Analysis
The chosen case for analysis is Apple vs. Microsoft.
Questions and Answers Related to the Case
Did Microsoft’s actions result to copyright infringement?
Despite the fact that Apple provided authorization to the enable Microsoft to use its
software at a start, it is evident that the Microsoft violated the deal after utilizing the software for
its Windows 2.0 version, therefore, resulting to a copyright infringement case. According to
Quintais and Poort (2019), one always require an authorization (normally provided in the form of
a license) before utilizing a protected work. Before providing the license the terms of agreement
should be clear to avoid potential concerns involving the copyright infringement issues such as in
the case of Apple vs. Microsoft.
How did the Merger Doctrine benefit Microsoft in this Case?

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The merger doctrine refers to a principle under the copyright law which indicates that in
the events when there is a limited number of ways that an idea can be expressed then the
copyright law will not protect the expression based on the fact that a “merge” was experienced
with the idea (Samuelson, 2018). The merger doctrine acted in favor of Microsoft in the
presented case since it is evident that separating the idea about the copy-right protection
involving the Mac’s visual displays proved to be limited in scope hence suggesting a “merge.”
Decision in the Case
In the case, the court provided a ruling that out of the 189 controversial displays, 179
were protected under the authorization provided by Grassee to Microsoft. Additionally, the
remaining ten did not violate the copyrights of Apple Company as a result of the merger
doctrine. In this case, an idea-expression divide limits the rate at which the copyright protection
can be extended by differentiating an idea from its actual manifestation. In this case, the law
court acting in favor of Microsoft after relying on the principle outlined under the merger
doctrine.
Lessons Learned
The issue of Apple vs. Microsoft taught that copyright infringement is a serious concern
which requires a legal redress. However, abiding by the legal requirements such as having
obtaining a license to use a copyright work may protect a company from litigation. However,
defining the terms is an important consideration before licensing to avoid concerns likely to arise
in cases where the merger doctrine is initiated.

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References
Altman, S. (2018). Persona-Character Copyrights and Merger’s Role in the Evolution of
Entertainment Expressions. Emory Law Journal, 67(4), 735–770.
Jobson, G., Nercessian, A., & Ludmer, M. (2018). An Overview of Recent Developments in
Copyright Law. Business Lawyer, 74(1), 253–265.
Libson, A., & Parchomovsky, G. (2019). Toward the Personalization of Copyright
Law. University of Chicago Law Review, 86(2), 527–550.
Northover, A. D. (2016). “Enough and as Good” in the Intellectual Commons: A Lockean
Theory of Copyright and the Merger Doctrine. Emory Law Journal, 65(5), 1363–1410.
Quintais, J. P., & Poort, J. (2019). The Decline of Online Piracy: How Markets - Not
Enforcement - Drive Down Copyright Infringement. American University International
Law Review, 34(4), 807–876.
Samuelson, P. (2018). The EU’s Controversial Digital Single Market Directive: Should
copyright enforcement have precedence over the interests of users in information privacy
and fundamental freedoms? Communications of the ACM, 61(11), 20–23.