Paperback Software Explained

Paperback Software International
Type:Limited
Industry:Software Engineering
Fate:Dissolved
Founder:Adam Osborne

Paperback Software International Ltd. was a software company founded in 1983 by Adam Osborne to manufacture discount software such as word processor Paperback Writer and related spell checker Paperback Speller, spreadsheet VP-Planner,[1] [2] database VP-Info, and the VP-Expert artificial intelligence software. VP-Expert was developed by Brian Sawyer[3] The company was headquartered in Berkeley, California.[4]

History

The company was found by a United States court to have infringed on copyright for reproducing the appearance and menu system of Lotus 1-2-3 in its competing spreadsheet program,[5] [6] even though they did use different source code.[7] [8] [9] [10] The loss of this lawsuit was the main cause for the foundering of the company and paved the way for future copyright law on computer software.

Overview

Not only was VP Planner cheaper, it was regarded by some as better.[11] Adam Osborne's US Paperback Software business folded following lengthy litigation with Lotus Software.[12] The litigation began in 1987, when Lotus initially won a copyright claim in 1990 against Paperback Software.[13] Lotus sued Borland over the latter’s Quattro Pro spreadsheet[14] [15] but, after six years of litigation, lost the lawsuit. The court ruled that it is not copyright infringement to use the Lotus interface as a subset, but, by then, Paperback Software had folded, and Lotus 1-2-3 had faced intense competition from Microsoft Excel.

Legacy

VP-Info remains in use and continues to be available for download from public software archives, and through the Wayback Machine. VP-Info was revised and updated and re-published by SubRosa Corporation as the Shark database management application.[16] VP-Expert was the top-selling expert systems development tool, with over 120,000 units sold and site licenses at DuPont, Kodak, and the Wharton School of Business.

Notes and References

  1. News: . A DIVISIVE LOTUS 'CLONE' WAR . February 5, 1987 . limited.
  2. News: The New York Times. Three Officials Quit Paperback. June 15, 1988 . limited.
  3. Web site: VP-Expert .
  4. Web site: Paperback Software International.
  5. News: . Lotus Wins Copyright Decision . June 29, 1990 . limited.
  6. News: The New York Times. Lotus Sues 2 On Copyright Violation. John Markoff . July 3, 1990 . limited.
  7. Web site: bsobel. Lotus Development Corp. v. Paperback Software International . H2O . H2O . May 29, 2016. January 19, 2015.
  8. Web site: Gerard J. Lewis . COMMENT: LOTUS DEVELOPMENT CORP. V. PAPERBACK SOFTWARE INTERNATIONAL: BROAD COPYRIGHT PROTECTION FOR USER INTERFACES IGNORES THE SOFTWARE INDUSTRY'S TREND TOWARD STANDARDIZATION.. LexisNexis . LexisNexis . May 29, 2016 . 1991.
  9. Web site: Brian Johnson . An Analysis of the Copyrightability of the "Look and Feel" of a Computer Program: Lotus v. Paperback Software . The Ohio State University Law Review. 1811/64566 . May 29, 2016.
  10. Web site: Pamela Samuelson. Computer Programs, User Interfaces, and Section 102(b) of the Copyright Act of 1976: A Critique of Lotus v Paperback. Duke Law . Duke Law. May 29, 2016. 1992.
  11. . InfoWorld VP Planner Product Review. 2 April 1990.
  12. Russo, J. and J. Nafziger. "Software 'Look and Feel' Protection in the 1990s"
  13. Lotus Dev. Corp. v. Paperback Software Int'l, 740 F. Supp. 37 (D. Mass. 1990)
  14. Web site: Action in Lotus's Lawsuit. The New York Times.
  15. Web site: LOTUS DEVELOPMENT CORP. v. BORLAND INTERNATIONAL INC., 49 F.3d 807 (1st Cir. 1995). Cornell Law. May 29, 2016.
  16. [VP-Info]