Russian Entertainment Wholesale, Inc. v. Close-Up International, Inc. Case Brief
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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis
tl;dr: A licensee for “multilingual” DVDs, whose subtitles could be turned off, was sued by the exclusive licensee for “Russian-language-only” DVDs. The court held this was not copyright infringement because the defendant operated within its distinct license and any subsequent breach was a contract issue, not a copyright violation.
Legal Significance: This case clarifies that an exclusive licensee may only sue for infringement of the specific right it holds. It also establishes that a licensee’s breach of a contractual covenant, as opposed to a condition, gives rise to a breach of contract claim for the licensor, not a copyright infringement claim.
Case Facts & Court Holding
Key Facts & Case Background
The copyrights for numerous Russian films were held by Mosfilm and Lenfilm. The studios created two parallel licensing schemes. The plaintiff, Close-Up International, Inc., held an exclusive sublicense to reproduce and distribute “Russian-language-only” DVD versions of the films in the United States. The defendants, the Ruscico defendants, held a separate exclusive license from the same studios to produce and distribute “multilingual versions” of the same films. The defendants’ multilingual DVDs included foreign language subtitles that could be disabled by the viewer, allowing the films to be watched in their original Russian language without subtitles. The defendants’ initial 1999 license did not require a feature to prevent subtitles from being turned off. In 2005, the defendants’ license was amended to add a requirement for a “no shut off” feature. Close-Up sued the Ruscico defendants for copyright infringement, alleging that their DVDs, when viewed with subtitles off, were functionally equivalent to the Russian-language-only versions and thus infringed on Close-Up’s exclusive rights.
Court Holding & Legal Precedent
Issue: Does a licensee of “multilingual” versions of a copyrighted work infringe the rights of an exclusive licensee of “Russian-language-only” versions when its products are manufactured with subtitles that can be disabled by the end-user?
No, the defendants did not infringe the plaintiff’s copyright. The court held 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 ips
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
Does a licensee of “multilingual” versions of a copyrighted work infringe the rights of an exclusive licensee of “Russian-language-only” versions when its products are manufactured with subtitles that can be disabled by the end-user?
Conclusion
The case reinforces the principle that an exclusive licensee's standing is strictly 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 con
Legal Rule
An exclusive licensee of a particular right under a copyright may only 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 cillu
Legal Analysis
The court's analysis centered on the divisibility of copyright and the interpretation 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 reprehenderit in voluptate ve
Flash-to-Full Case Opinions
Flash Summary
- A licensee with rights to a “multilingual” version of a film