Baker v. Selden
United States Supreme Court
101 U.S. 99 (1879)
Relevant factsFree
Charles Selden (plaintiff) copyrighted a book describing his bookkeeping system, which included illustrated example forms -- ruled lines and headings -- demonstrating how the system worked. Baker (defendant) later produced similar blank forms based on Selden's system, and Selden sued for copyright infringement.
IssueFree
Whether a copyright on a book describing a system, which includes illustrative blank forms demonstrating that system, grants the copyright holder exclusive rights to use or reproduce the underlying system and its forms, as opposed to only the book's written description.