Barbara Horgan, as of the Estate of George Balanchine, Plaintiff v. MacMillan Inc., Ellen Switzer, Steven Caras, and Costas Case Brief
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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis
tl;dr: The estate of choreographer George Balanchine sued to enjoin publication of a book containing still photographs of his ballet, The Nutcracker. The court rejected the trial court’s “recreation” test, holding that still photographs can infringe a choreographic copyright if they are “substantially similar” to the original work.
Legal Significance: This case established that still photographs can infringe a copyright in choreography. It clarified that the standard for infringement is “substantial similarity,” not whether the original work can be recreated from the copy, thereby extending protection for choreographic works across different media.
Barbara Horgan, as of the Estate of George Balanchine, Plaintiff v. MacMillan Inc., Ellen Switzer, Steven Caras, and Costas Law School Study Guide
Use this case brief structure for your own legal analysis. Focus on the IRAC methodology to excel in law school exams and cold calls.
Case Facts & Court Holding
Key Facts & Case Background
The estate of renowned choreographer George Balanchine held a registered copyright in the choreography for his famous production of The Nutcracker. The copyright was fixed in a tangible medium via a videotape deposited with the Copyright Office. Defendant MacMillan, Inc. published a book featuring 60 color photographs of the New York City Ballet performing the work, arranged sequentially to follow the ballet’s narrative. The plaintiff, executrix of Balanchine’s estate, learned of the book’s impending publication and warned MacMillan that it would be an infringing derivative work. MacMillan proceeded with publication, asserting that the book did not infringe any of the estate’s rights. The estate filed suit, seeking a preliminary injunction to halt the book’s distribution. The district court denied the injunction, holding that still photographs could not infringe a copyright on choreography because they only capture static moments and do not reproduce the essential “flow of the steps,” from which the original performance could not be recreated.
Court Holding & Legal Precedent
Issue: Can a series of still photographs of a ballet performance infringe the copyright on the underlying choreographic work, and is the proper test for infringement whether the original work can be recreated from the photographs?
Yes, still photographs can infringe a choreographic copyright. The court reversed the Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehende
IRAC Legal Analysis
About IRAC analysis
IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) is the structure professors expect in exam answers. Each LSD.Law brief states the issue, the governing rule with citations, the court's application of that rule, and the conclusion - the same reasoning pattern you will use on exams and in practice.
Legal Issue
Can a series of still photographs of a ballet performance infringe the copyright on the underlying choreographic work, and is the proper test for infringement whether the original work can be recreated from the photographs?
Conclusion
This decision significantly broadened the protection for choreographic works under the 1976 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in v
Legal Rule
The standard for determining copyright infringement is not whether the original work Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolor
Legal Analysis
The Second Circuit addressed the novel question of the scope of copyright Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in r
Flash-to-Full Case Opinions
Flash Summary
- Still photographs of a ballet can infringe the copyright on the