Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Today in History: Adam Osborne’s Paperback Software guilty of Lotus infringement

6/28/2026

25 4

Summary

Story summary

On June 28, a court ruled that Paperback Software International, the Berkeley-based firm Adam Osborne founded in 1983, infringed copyright by copying Lotus 1-2-3’s look-and-feel in its VP-Planner spreadsheet. The decision affirmed that replicating a competitor’s interface without permission violates the exclusive rights granted to the original software’s copyright holder.

1 of 1

Story summary

On June 28, a court ruled that Paperback Software International, the Berkeley-based firm Adam Osborne founded in 1983, infringed copyright by copying Lotus 1-2-3’s look-and-feel in its VP-Planner spreadsheet. The decision affirmed that replicating a competitor’s interface without permission violates the exclusive rights granted to the original software’s copyright holder.