Moreover, Oracle notes that § 410(a) requires the Copyright Office to assess a work’s copyrightability and whether merger applies at the time of registration. Id. (citing Atari Games Corp. v. Oman, 888 F.2d 878, 884-85 (D.C. Cir. 1989)). Therefore, had the idea underlying Java SE been so expressed in a way virtually indistinguishable from the idea itself, the Copyright Office would have served as a gatekeeper and denied federal registration.
5(g). [19] See,e.g., Atari Games Corp. v. Oman, 888 F.2d 878 (D.C. Cir. 1989). [20] Id.