I don&#x27;t think you deserve the downvotes, still the objection seems invalid; a binary ABI derives as much from a textual description (but not necessarily declarative) as a binary object from its source code. In fact I would say that the actual precondition, invariant definition, postconditions and data layout (which an ABI reimplementation would need to match) are a much more significant expression of creativity than the mere naming of functions.<p>So, assuming the copyrightability of APIs in the first place, an ABI should get as much protection as a textual API. The problem is that everybody had assumed until this ruling was that while APIs, ABIs and protocols were definitely an expression of creativity, they didn&#x27;t reach the bar for copyright protection, especially when contrasted with the legally recognized right of reverse engineering for interoperability.<p>IANAL, of course.