March 4, 2019 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of our client (the respondent) today in Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com, No. 17-571.
The issue was whether a plaintiff may file an infringement action as soon as it applies for a registration of copyright, or only once the registrar of copyright acts on that registration. We were retained at the petition stage, where the Court called for the views of the Solicitor General, and the government filed a brief unequivocally supporting the merits position we set out in our Brief in Oppo sition. The case was fully briefed, and then argued on January 8, 2019. Peter K. Stris presented oral argument on behalf of our client.
Statement of Mr. Stris: “Today’s decision wholeheartedly affirms the original text of the Copyright Act, as well as Congress’ desire to promote early and extensive copyright registration. It is a true victory for common sense statutory interpretation and for the numerous stakeholders who benefit from a robust system of copyright registration.”
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