"Look and feel" is a term that refers to the user interface of a computer program. The term "look and feel" is closely associated with an important software copyright infringement case, Lotus Development Corporation v. Paperback Software International. In this case the judge's ruling in favor of Lotus established guidelines for the copyrightability of user interfaces; the precedents set here have been followed by other courts in subsequent cases. These cases are often referred to collectively as "the look and feel cases."

In the late 1980s Lotus 1-2-3, a spreadsheet program, gained wide popularity among users of first-generation personal computers and was an important factor in the growth of the market for personal computers. Paperback, a small software company, created VP-Planner to compete with Lotus 1-2-3. Originally VP-Planner was to be a different and, the company thought, better program; but, seeing that...