[throwaway373438]

The car's width is absolutely its interface with respect to roadway interoperability.

We aren't talking about user interfaces here. This lawsuit does not involve UX. We are talking about interfaces between functional components. The analogy is spot on.

[mehrdadn]

The interoperability width is already set by the road... you're copying the road at that point, not the car.

The lawsuit involves UX for a software framework. Which its API constitutes. The user happens to be a developer here and their usage is software development.

[throwaway373438]

And this is why Google had to copy the interface -- otherwise their runtime would not operate with other existing products. As you can see given your example, the analogy is a perfect fit.

Your argument that the copying is once-removed is unfortunately irrelevant to copyright law.

[mehrdadn]

You're saying a car that's 1 inch narrower somehow wouldn't fit the same roads?

[throwaway373438]

What does "1 inch narrower" mean to you, in the context of this analogy? Are you suggesting the interfaces have different names? Different sized arguments?

None of those things would work.

Besides, creating minor differences do not solve this problem as they would still be derivative works.

[mehrdadn]

> What does "1 inch narrower" mean to you, in the context of this analogy? Are you suggesting the interfaces have different names? Different sized arguments?

Your question is exactly my point. I'm suggesting what I said earlier:

>> I don't think that's a good analogy at all.

[throwaway373438]

It sounds like the original analogy is apt, and your followup analogy isn't.