Law School Case Briefs

Citation
Case Name

Start by searching for a case name or citation above.

Discover a Random Brief

Terry Gilliam, Plaintiffs-Appellants-Appellees v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., Defendant-Appellee-Appellant

Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (1976) | 538 F.2d 14

3 min read

TL;DR: The comedy group Monty Python sued ABC for broadcasting heavily edited versions of their shows. The court granted an injunction, finding the unauthorized editing likely constituted copyright infringement and a violation of the Lanham Act by misrepresenting the artists' work.

Legal Significance: This case establishes that substantial, unauthorized editing of a licensed work can constitute copyright infringement. It also recognizes a cause of action under the Lanham Act for the "mutilation" of a creative work, effectively protecting an artist's moral rights against misrepresentation.