Architects, confronted with it, reel and throw up their hands defensively, and even the lay observer has a sense of shock.

OnOff continued to settle along the light curve that had been seen in previous centuries; to a lay observer, it looked like a normal, hydrogen-eating sun, complete with sunspots.

The difference was hardly noticeable to the lay observer.

As to the question of "substantial similarity" between the two works, the court asked "whether an average lay observer would recognize the alleged copy as having been appropriated from the copyrighted work."

The Act also required the establishment of a panel of lay observers to inspect the conditions in which prisoners are transported or held.

Mr. Robertson also addressed an aspect of the statue that may disconcert the lay observer.

Indeed, "a lay observer may mistakenly determine that two user interfaces are similar because they appear similar, even though the details of their implementation may be very different".

So in cases like Shine v. Childs, jurors have to decide whether a lay observer would see the work as a copy.

The Wellspring diet has been criticized by some lay observers.

The court rejected the "extrinsic-intrinsic" test that had commonly been used until then, where an expert and a lay observer are asked to independently determine whether the works are substantially similar.