"For me, declaring code is not code," Page said.
This sentence sounds pretty odd to me. What does Larry Page mean?
This sentence sounds pretty odd to me. What does Larry Page mean?
Describing interface with words is exactly the same as declaring it with code. So such code is nothing more or less than verbal description of the interface (or any other description of it using any other syntax).
Not sure if that helps. If you can copyright interface, or just algorithms. Unless Java interface was specifically made free and open by Sun then it's really clear cut case.
Constraint logic programs seem more of the grey area I think you're talking about. Is a set of constraints "code" (c.f. https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Prolog/Solving_a_Logic_Puzzle#... )?
I'd argue that code that "compiles to nothing" can be protected by copyright, too, even if it is not distributed to customers. E.g., extensive documentation inside comments in the source files is definitely copyrighted. Complex build rules might be copyrightable, too, although they definitely end up in the distributed application.
Therefore, it would probably be counterproductive to assert such a thing in court.
Unless that claim about interfaces becomes crucial in some unforeseen way.