The United States Copyright Office defines a computer program as a set of statements or instructions to be used directly or indirectly in a computer in order to bring about a certain result. The question becomes what exactly does a copyright registration for a computer program protect? Courts have held that copyright protection extends not only to the literal elements of a computer program, such as source code and object code, but also to the program’s non-literal elements. These non-literal elements are the products generated by the codes interaction with the computer hardware and operating programs. Put another way, copyright protection of a computer program extends to the structure, sequence, organization, user-interface, screen displays, and menu structures. Therefore, a copyright registration will protect not only the code but also the output of that code.
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