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by bitwize 211 days ago
> Again, concepts are not copyrightable. Nothing you have posted indicates otherwise. When your expression looks exactly like another persons expression... that's what substantial similarity is. I find it very odd that you think looking like something isn't an expression but is actually just a concept instead. It's not.

There is no definitive answer for what is an idea (not copyrightable) and what is an expression of an idea (copyrightable). It really depends on the judge and what the prevailing legal opinion is. During the nineties it was generally thought that software's "look and feel" was not copyrightable, and there were rulings to that effect. That is no longer the case. These days, judges grant copyright coverage to very abstract ideas. For example, one may not own the copyright on "side-scrolling platformer", but if you make a "side-scrolling platformer where you hit bricks from below to get power-ups, collect coins, and jump on enemies to defeat them", you may just be close enough to _Super Mario Bros._ that Nintendo might sue you and win. And we're not even getting into the specific names and appearances of the characters, enemies, and setting.