Date: May 11th, 2008 11:19 PM Author: lascivious dilemma
i'm no SMJ expert, but it's not immediately apparent that A47's tortious comments had anything to do with the picture posted for the t14 contest. even if A posts the picture, is it clear that B's comments on it are part of a common nucleus? maybe there's case law to that effect, but it seems worth arguing.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:31 PM Author: lascivious dilemma
i will not admit it because i don't think it's so obvious. reposting someone's publicly available picture is not obviously related to IIED, particularly when some comments were made prior to the copyright violation and many had nothing to do with the Does' appearances.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:45 PM Author: lascivious dilemma
wtf? i'm not saying i'm right about this, i was just asking what other people thought about the issue. saying, "you're wrong, retard; the issue is obvious" isn't much of an argument.
EDIT: and a good enough one that i'm starting an appellate clerkship in a matter of weeks. i plan to completely rewrite the SMJ law.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:51 PM Author: Wild forum depressive
"i was just asking what other people thought about the issue. saying, 'you're wrong, retard; the issue is obvious' isn't much of an argument."
i don't much care. i just remember you saying something insulting about me in the past for no particular reason, noted that you said something that appeared patently stupid on this thread, and so it seemed like an opportune moment for the question. (i actually am still curious as to the answer.)
"i plan to completely rewrite the SMJ law."
good luck with that. coa doesn't exactly mean that you're destined to change the legal world.
Date: May 12th, 2008 12:11 PM Author: Stimulating kitty cat state
You are a waste of carbon. Killself so my grandchildren's grandchildren can have a little coal a couple year earlier. It'll be a net contribution to humanity. And take DeanRobbins with you. You both blow chunky monkeys. Thanks in advance.
Dude, DeanRobbinsXXXX is being unduly stupid about this. I think there's a legit argument that there is no common nucleous of operative fact. Might not win, but certainly good enough to argue.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:39 PM Author: Tan lay son of senegal
They couldn't even get Lemley's name right in the first paragraph. And check out this horrible sentence:
"If in fact this were a mere typographical error, one might suppose the plaintiffs would have corrected it when the error was brought to their attention; but the error was brought to their attention repeatedly before the recent oral argument and no effort was made to change the express, but now admittedly inaccurate, allegation of the complaint."
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:48 PM Author: Histrionic Sneaky Criminal Really Tough Guy
You think a sentence is poorly written simply because it's long. That's because you're a simpleton who doesn't understand the art of writing. A series of short sentences can be incomprehensible, and a long sentence can be easy to read.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:54 PM Author: Appetizing pit
April 16, 2008 39 Order Appointing Pro Bono Counsel: John R. Williams for Defendant AK47 for the limited purpose of arguing the motions to quash and to proceed in fictitious name. Signed by Judge Christopher F. Droney on 4/16/08. (Droney, Christopher) (Entered: April 16, 2008)
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:11 PM Author: Histrionic Sneaky Criminal Really Tough Guy
Totally. It's interesting how quickly the momentum can turn in litigation. I don't really like AK47 (but I feel a little sorry for him), still regardless if I were the judge I would totally dismiss the complaint.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:15 PM Author: lascivious dilemma
do you guys really think it's that good? KVN's is terrible, no doubt, but he doesn't engage the facts much when he's really making the argument that the copyright claim is just a manufactured hook. he mostly points to the fact that the copyright was registered right before the action commenced, but that's not nearly as damning as the fact that only one D actually violated the copyright statute, right?
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:40 PM Author: Multi-colored Business Firm Foreskin
Here is the quote:
"[b]y mischaracterizing tort claims as copyright claims, plaintiffs seek to take advantage of a more favorable legal regime. This sort of gamesmanship is undesirable."
1) It isn't binding precedent (obviously). Indeed the quoted passage merely states an opinion that something is undesirable, not that any court has ever held it to be improper.
2) The complaint here contains bona fide copyright claims. I'd like to know which claims Williams thinks are tort claims mischaracterized as copyright claims.
3) If they had to, the does would simply argue that the present set of circumstances can be distinguished from those at the heart of this quote.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:44 PM Author: Tan lay son of senegal
1) If Doe doesn't own the copyright, she has no "bonafide" copyright claim.
2) Copyright is intended to further the "progress of science" by incentivizing authors to create. Suing for copyright infringement of a photograph that an author has no intention of economically exploiting is pretextual.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:49 PM Author: Multi-colored Business Firm Foreskin
1) See, here's the problem. Saying that Doe doesn't own the copyright is a DEFENSE to the copyright claim. The court has SMJ if the complaint AS FILED contains a case or controversy arising under federal law. It does.
2) Again - a copyright owner is entitled to exercise her rights. It is irrelevant that she has a mixed motive. Part of the litigation game is finding ways to get the most favorable forum, choice of law, etc.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:52 PM Author: Tan lay son of senegal
Lack of a valid registration is a jurisdictional matter, dumbass. I suggest you first learn a little about what you are attempting to argue before making assertions.
Date: May 12th, 2008 12:01 AM Author: Multi-colored Business Firm Foreskin
I just don't think you understand how these things work.
Whether or not the plaintiff's registration is or is not valid is itself a matter of federal copyright law.
If I file a suit for patent infringement against you, I can bring it in federal court because a suit for patent infringement is a case or controversy under federal law.
If your defense is that I don't have a valid patent, the case is still going to be tried in federal court.
Date: May 12th, 2008 12:06 AM Author: Appetizing pit
The judge ordered briefing on the issue. Even if you're technically right, if the judge wants to dismiss the case on SMJ grounds he could just dismiss the copyright count sua sponte (or interpret AK47's brief as a motion to dismiss the copyright count) and then dismiss the state law claims because SMJ died with the copyright count.
Date: May 12th, 2008 12:08 AM Author: Appetizing pit
As to your last sentence, KVN admitted Doe 1 doesn't have a valid copyright, so there's no need for anything to be tried since they conceded the point. If they judge doesn't buy that it was an error (or won't give them the benefit of the doubt since they never tried to fix it) he has enough on the record to dismiss it sua sponte.
Date: May 12th, 2008 12:17 AM Author: Tan lay son of senegal
I don't think you understand the issues here.
"Federal district courts possess only limited jurisdiction, which Congress regulates by statute...In a copyright action, a district court initially derives its jurisdiction from two sources: 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1338... Congress may supplement or limit these basic provisions with additional requirements "expressed in a separate statutory section from jurisdictional grants." Section 411(a)... provides that "no action for infringement of the copyright in any United States work shall be instituted until preregistration or registration of the copyright claim has been made in accordance with this title."
Whether this requirement is jurisdictional is not up for debate in this Circuit. On two recent occasions, we have squarely held that it is. See Well-Made Toy Mfg. Corp. v. Goffa Int'l Corp., 354 F.3d 112, 114, 115 (2d Cir. 2003) (affirming dismissal for lack of "subject matter jurisdiction" because section 411(a)'s "registration requirement is jurisdictional"); Morris v. Business Concepts, Inc., 259 F.3d 65, 72, 73 (2d Cir. 2001) (holding "that subject matter jurisdiction was lacking because the registration requirement of section 411(a) was not satisfied" and affirming dismissal "for lack of subject matter jurisdiction").
We are far from alone in this regard; there is widespread agreement among the circuits that section 411(a) is jurisdictional. See La Resolana Architects, PA v. Clay Realtors Angel Fire, 416 F.3d 1195, 1200 (10th Cir. 2005) ("Section 411(a) is the jurisdictional lynchpin to copyright infringement actions[.]"); Positive Black Talk Inc. [*122] v. Cash Money Records Inc., 394 F.3d 357, 365 (5th Cir. 2004) [**14] (noting that section 411(a) "supplement[s]" the "broad underlying" jurisdictional grants in 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1338 and acts as an additional "jurisdictional prerequisite"); Xoom, Inc. v. Imageline, Inc., 323 F.3d 279, 283 (4th Cir. 2003) ("Copyright registration is a jurisdictional prerequisite to bringing an action for infringement under the Copyright Act."); Murray Hill Publ'ns, Inc. v. ABC Commc'ns, Inc., 264 F.3d 622, 630 n.1 (6th Cir. 2001) (noting that while copyright protection exists prior to registration, "[t]he registration requirement under section 411[a] is a jurisdictional prerequisite to the right of the holder to enforce the copyright in federal court"); Brewer-Giorgio v. Producers Video, Inc., 216 F.3d 1281, 1285 (11th Cir. 2000) ("It is well settled in this Court that the registration requirement is a jurisdictional prerequisite to an infringement suit." (internal quotation marks omitted and alterations incorporated)); Data Gen. Corp. v. Grumman Sys. Support Corp., 36 F.3d 1147, 1163 (1st Cir. 1994) (describing registration under section 411(a) as a "jurisdictional requirement")...
***
For these reasons, we conclude that § 1367(a) did not provide the District Court with jurisdiction over the claims arising from the alleged infringement of unregistered copyrights."
Muchnick v. Thomson Corp. (In re: Literary Works in Elec. Databas..., 509 F.3d 116 (2nd Cir. 2007)
Date: May 12th, 2008 1:05 AM Author: Multi-colored Business Firm Foreskin
I'm not sure I get what you're driving at. Are you saying that the doe with the copyright claim filed a copyright registration before the law suit was filed, but that that registration was somehow defective? Or are you saying that she didn't file it until after the lawsuit was filed?
If I am not mistaken the cases you cited involved situations in which the plaintiff did not even allege that they had filed for copyright registration before their complaint was filed.
If the issue here centers on whether or not the registration is defective, or whether or not the plaintiff has a valid copyright in the first place, then that is not at all the same thing.
The plaintiff will say "here's my copyright, he infringed it". It is then a defense to say that there is no valid copyright, but that doesn't mean that subject matter jurisdiction is lost. It is a defense only and has to be sorted out through litigation.
Date: May 12th, 2008 1:24 AM Author: Appetizing pit
That's the point of AK47's argument. Doe 1 never filed a copyright registration, and KVN admitted it. Doe 2 did, but the complaint says Doe 1 is the one suing for infringement.
Ah, that is a good issue. (as may be obvious, I haven't read all the pleadings)
If Doe 1 is bringing a copyright infringement case and the copyright office has not received her app for registration, then many courts would say there is no jurisdiction.
However, some courts say that you *can* sue for injunctive relief on a copyright claim without registration. That would seem to be ridiculous here where there is no claim of ongoing infringement as far as I know.
I know of at least one other court that has said "sure, you didn't file for registration til after filing the complaint, but as a matter of judicial economy, we won't make you re-file an amended complaint now that you have filed for registration"
Date: May 12th, 2008 12:59 PM Author: Appetizing pit
You should read the pleadings. The Ps are claiming that they meant for Doe 2 to sue for infringement instead of Doe 1, and the court should essentially pretend that Doe 2 is suing for infringement when considering SMJ. AK47 says it might not have actually been a typo and they should be held to what the complaint says because they had notice for almost a year and never attempted to amend until they were called out on it at oral argument.
Date: May 12th, 2008 9:41 AM Author: Tan lay son of senegal
LOL, feigning confusion is not one of the better trial tactics. I hope for your sake that you are not in law school. If you are, you'd better start paying attention.
I think we all agree that you have to have a copyright registration (or the copyright office has to have received for registration application--there is a circuit split on that issue) to sue for copyright infringement.
But if you've got the registration (I understand that one of the Ps does), the argument that the registration is invalid doesn't affect the jurisdiction issue.
In this case, if a registration has issued (in fact, issuance may not be strictly necessary, but that's another issue), you've got jurisdiction to sue for copyright infringement.
The Court may find that you don't own the copyright, but that's another issue.
Now, if the D could argue that insufficient facts were plead to make out a claim of copyright ownership, that might work. But with notice pleading, that's sort of an uphill battle. A motion for more specific pleading might get you where you want to go.
Date: May 12th, 2008 1:55 PM Author: Crystalline double fault persian
Question about ownership. The picture is of one of the plaintiffs. She obviously did not take the picture so does she have to show ownership of the copyright? Does she have to show some kind of proof that the person who took the picture transferred it to her?
She has to show ownership of copyright either way if she's asserting a copyright claim.
Registration is prima facie evidence of valid copyright ownership if registered within 5 years of publication (I think) of the work. (maybe it's creation, I forget right now).
Whether she *actually* owns any copyright interest in the photographs is another issue that Ds would have to rebut (given a registration in her name). Whether she owns any copyright interest in the photos depends on whether she contributed any original expression to the photo (maybe creative posing, or other contributions?)
Not sure if it would work, but Ds could file a motion for more definite statement/clarificatino of complaint (I forget what this is called, but I think it's a 12(b) motion) asking that they more clearly state the facts giving rise to their copyright complaint (including ownership facts), but I'm not sure if this would be successful if they just allege ownership of a registration.
Of course, they managed to screw that part up from what I understand.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:53 PM Author: lascivious dilemma
1) he harps on the ownership issue to make the point that they were just searching for a way to get federal jurisdiction. he's saying that while they carefully tracked down potentially tortious statements made about each of the Does, they didn't even both to identify the alleged victim of copyright infringement correctly.
2) trying to get in an ideal forum is part of the game, but the courts limit how you can play it. the point isn't that she isn't entitled to exercise rights under copyright law; the point is that a trumped up copyright claim shouldn't be the backdoor to federal court for the Does tort claims.
Date: May 12th, 2008 12:06 AM Author: Multi-colored Business Firm Foreskin
"the point is that a trumped up copyright claim shouldn't be the backdoor to federal court for the Does tort claims."
First of all there is a difference between "trumped up" and "validly exerted for the mere purposes of getting SMJ".
Second, you can make the argument to the judge but at the end of the day the judge still has discretion to hear the pendant claims together. This "shouldn't" is a plea to the judge, not a mandate that binds the judge's hands.
Date: May 12th, 2008 12:09 AM Author: lascivious dilemma
"This 'shouldn't' is a plea to the judge, not a mandate that binds the judge's hands."
never thought otherwise. but as my good friend DeanRobbins333334 above took pains to reiterate to me, 1367(c) is a mandate to kick certain suits out of the fed courts, even when pendent jurisdiction exists.
Date: May 12th, 2008 12:13 AM Author: Appetizing pit
It's only validly exerted if the judge is lenient and treats the copyright claim as if it were made by Doe 2. If the judge doesn't treat it as an error, or finds it was an error but holds KVN to it because they didn't amend for a year, then the copyright claim wasn't validly exerted.
But you're right it's all in the judge's discretion. He has enough to go on to do whatever he wants here.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:55 PM Author: Multi-colored Business Firm Foreskin
I guess you didn't read what I said.
That quote appears to have been in reference to some claims that were actually tort claims but which were mischaracterized as copyright claims. That isn't true here. There are bona fide copyright claims. Do you know what "characterization" means as a legal term of art as it applies to claims?
And again - if he really had to he could simply distinguish the cases.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:56 PM Author: Tan lay son of senegal
You seem to be missing the point. There is no valid copyright claim where there is no valid copyright. Here, there appear to be no valid copyright held by any of the parties.
"The complaint here contains bona fide copyright claims."
That sort of depends on your definition of "bona fide." You could probably argue successfully that, at this point, the copyright claims shouldn't be dismissed, but not really sure.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:33 PM Author: lascivious dilemma
the copyright registration right before suit thing happens constantly since it's simply not cost-effective to register most things that can be protected by copyright.
again, i think it puts KVN's brief to shame, but i feel like it's not all that great. but so it goes with pro boner work.
No shit, I was questioning why you'd file anything on a Sunday when no court filing deadline would ever be on a Sunday. You don't file on PACER, moron; you file on ECF.
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:37 PM Author: lascivious dilemma
not everybody files on the deadline, even if it seems that way. probably wanted to get the pro bono stuff out of the way so he wouldn't have to deal with it this week. or maybe he missed a deadline?
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:56 PM Author: Appetizing pit
April 16, 2008 39 Order Appointing Pro Bono Counsel: John R. Williams for Defendant AK47 for the limited purpose of arguing the motions to quash and to proceed in fictitious name. Signed by Judge Christopher F. Droney on 4/16/08. (Droney, Christopher) (Entered: April 16, 2008)
Date: May 11th, 2008 11:18 PM Author: Big-titted base
doesnt matter. ak47's future is in KVN's hands. his identity was revealed to them by AT&T. they can file a state law tort suit against him and out him, which is really what this is all about anyway.
this would of course mean all the other Ds wouldnt be on the hook aynmore.
Date: May 12th, 2008 1:04 AM Author: passionate associate
No, moron. The failure of the complaint to establish SMJ would knock out all of the defendants but one or two regardless of what expedited discovery turns up.
When a judge "appoints pro bono counsel" - does that mean the lawyer came forward and volunteer to do it or does the court pick someone off a list and tell him to do it whether he wants it or not.
The reason I'm asking is that Radazza's blog says something like "the judge took the step of appointing pro bono counsel" - making it sound like this was something unusual.
Date: May 12th, 2008 4:36 PM Author: lascivious dilemma
The Virginia lit has to do with subpoenas to AOL. GTO turned over the names on his buddy list which he could associate w/xo posters (or so it seems), and KVN subpoenaed AOL for that info. GTO and GTO's mother moved to quash.
it seems pretty unlikely that AK47 was on GTO's buddy list, so i don't think he's involved with that stuff.
If you wanted to go big time and expand to other issues, you could steal a story from WSJ every now and then. You'd outrank abovethelaw in about two days.