Reed Elsevier v. Muchnick
| Docket No. | Op. Below | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08-103 | 2nd Cir. |
Oct 7, 2009 |
Mar 2, 2010 | 8-0 | Thomas | OT 2009 |
Holding: A copyright holder must register her work with the Copyright Office before suing for copyright infringement. However, the failure of some copyright holders to register does not stop a federal court from deciding a class-action lawsuit for copyright infringement so long as some holders involved in the lawsuit did register.
Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 8-0, in an opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas on March 2, 2010. Justice Ginsburg, joined by Justices Stevens and Breyer, filed an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment. Justice Sotomayor took no part in the proceedings.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Second chance for copyright deal (Lyle Denniston, March 10, 2010)
- Analysis: Copyright settlement may be in doubt (Lyle Denniston, October 7, 2009)
- Reed Elsevier v. Muchnick: Free-lancers and an $18 million deal (Argument Preview) (Lyle Denniston, October 6, 2009)
- Court to rule on copyright settlement (Lyle Denniston, March 2, 2009)
Briefs and Documents
Merits Briefs
- Brief for Petitioner Reed Elsevier Inc., Thomson Corporation, Dialog Corporation, Gale Group, Inc., West Publishing Company, Inc., Dow Jones & Company, Inc., Dow Jones Reuters Business Interactive, LLC, Knight Ridder Inc., Knight Ridder Digital, Mediastream, Inc., Newsbank, Inc., Proquest Company, Union-Tribune Publishing Company, New YorkTimes Company, Copley Press, Inc., and Ebsco Industries, Inc.
- Brief for Respondent Letty Cotton Pogrebin, E.L. Doctorow, Tom Dunkel, Andrea Dworkin, Jay Feldman, James Gleick, Ronald Hayman, Robert Lacey, Ruth Laney, Paula Mcdonald, P/K Associates, Inc., Gerald Posner, Miriam Raftery, Ronald M. Schwartz, Mary Sherman, Donald Spoto, Michael Castleman Inc., Robert E. Treuhaft and Jessica L. Treuhaft Trust, Robin Vaughan, Robley Wilson, Marie Winn, National Writers Union, The Authors Guild, Inc., and the American Society of Journalists and Authors, in Support of Petitioner Reed Elsevier Inc., et al.
- Brief for Respondent Irvin Muchnick, Abraham Zaleznik, Charles Schwartz, Jack Sands, Todd Pitock, Judith Stacey, Judith Trotsky, Christopher Goodrich, Kathy Glicken and Anita Bartholomew
- Reply Brief for Petitioner Reed Elsevier Inc., Thomson Corporation, Dialog Corporation, Gale Group, Inc., West Publishing Company, Inc., Dow Jones & Company, Inc., Dow Jones Reuters Business Interactive, LLC, Knight Ridder Inc., Knight Ridder Digital, Mediastream, Inc., Newsbank, Inc., Proquest Company, Union-Tribune Publishing Company, New YorkTimes Company, Copley Press, Inc., and Ebsco Industries, Inc.
- Reply Brief for Respondent Letty Cotton Pogrebin, E.L. Doctorow, Tom Dunkel, Andrea Dworkin, Jay Feldman, James Gleick, Ronald Hayman, Robert Lacey, Ruth Laney, Paula Mcdonald, P/K Associates, Inc., Gerald Posner, Miriam Raftery, Ronald M. Schwartz, Mary Sherman, Donald Spoto, Michael Castleman Inc., Robert E. Treuhaft and Jessica L. Treuhaft Trust, Robin Vaughan, Robley Wilson, Marie Winn, National Writers Union, The Authors Guild, Inc., and the American Society of Journalists and Authors, in Support of Petitioner Reed Elsevier Inc., et al.
Amicus Briefs
- Brief for the American Intellectual Property Law Association in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the United States of America in Support of Vacatur and Remand
- Brief for Publishers in Support of Reversal
- Brief for Court Appointed Attorney in Support of Judgment
- Brief for the Computer and Communications Industry Association and NetCoalition in Support of Judgment
Certiorari-stage documents
- Opinion below (2nd Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition
- Petitioners' reply
- Brief of respondents in support of petitioners
