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11,000 lines of _declaring_ code-- the API signatures.

The API signatures were arguably the only thing that mattered.

The API signatures were arguably the only part that was copyrightable.

Code that is purely utilitarian (see “useful articles doctrine”) isn’t a work of human expression that is copyrightable.

Defining the “what” is just as much a part of the intellectual property as defining the “how”. Both things are hard to do well IMHO

> Both things are hard to do well IMHO

That's not really a factor in determining what's eligible for copyright protection.

Indeed. They’re both eligible.