Hello List Members,
The following question came up on an information architecture list to which I also subscribe.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-sigia-l[_at_]asis.org [mailto:owner-sigia-l[_at_]asis.org]On Behalf Of
Jesse James Garrett
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2000 5:58 PM
To: sigia-l[_at_]asis.org
Subject: SIGIA-L: information architecture as intellectual property
The following is purely hypothetical.
If you copy content from my site, I can sue you. If you copy images from my site, I can sue you. If you copy application code from my site, I can sue you. (Whether HTML also qualifies is still a matter of some debate.)
If you copy information architecture or interaction design from my site, should I be able to sue you?
Jesse James Garrett http://www.jjg.net/ jjg[_at_]jjg.net "the history of the future begins now"
-----End Original Message-----
Let's leave aside the propositions raised in the second paragraph. These issues are not central to the question raised. The issue Jesse raises here regards the design both of the navigational flow and inter-relationships between screens as well as defined interactions between the user and the application.
For those of you unfamiliar with the practice of information design, or information architecture as it is alternately known, most complicated website applications are created first in a kind of blueprint form. This blueprint specifies all of the navigational structures of the website, including interrelationships between the various screens to be built. In addition, specific user/application interactions are described and defined. Generally, the navigational flow and interaction design is captured in a set of documents, often called wire frames, templates, navigational flows or some other similar term.
I am relatively secure in the notion that the blueprint documents themselves are subject to copyright protection. I am also relatively certain that the look and feel of the completed application is protected by copyright. But what about the inter-relationships and interactions that the blueprints represent. In other words, are the instantiations of the inter-relationships and interactions represented by the blueprint, the navigational flow and interactions of the website application itself, protected? If so, how?
Any and all input from this list would be greatly appreciated.
Tal
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