Blackman v. Hustler Magazine, Inc.

620 F. Supp. 792, 228 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 170, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19346
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedMay 30, 1985
DocketCiv. A. 76-2103
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 620 F. Supp. 792 (Blackman v. Hustler Magazine, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Blackman v. Hustler Magazine, Inc., 620 F. Supp. 792, 228 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 170, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19346 (D.D.C. 1985).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

JOYCE HENS GREEN, District Judge.

In a previously-entered Memorandum Opinion and Judgment, defendant Hustler Magazine, Inc. (“Hustler”) was adjudged liable to plaintiff Barry M. Blackman for copyright infringement and unfair competition in connection with Hustler’s unauthorized publication of certain photographs taken and copyrighted by Blackman. Currently before the Court is the issue of damages, which was bifurcated from the liability issue and subsequently tried to the Court. Many of the facts relevant to damages have been stipulated; others were the subject of in-court expert- and fact-witness testimony, documentation, and the parties’ numerous pretrial and post-trial submissions filed as recently as April 2, 1985. In addition, the facts underlying the Court’s liability determination are fully set forth in the July 11, 1984 Memorandum Opinion, which is incorporated by reference into this Opinion.

Barry M. Blackman is a professional photographer who took nude photographs of Elizabeth Ray in September, 1972 when Ms. Ray was relatively unknown. Ms. Ray signed a release giving Blackman all rights to use, publish and copyright the photographs. Approximately four years later, in early June, 1976, the disclosure of Ms. Ray’s relationship with a United States Congressman catapulted Blackman’s former model into the public eye, and thereby substantially increased the potential value of Blackman’s photographs. Recognizing that the publicity surrounding Ms. Ray could work to his advantage, Blackman published (for the first time) the 54 Ray photographs on June 14, 1976, with notice of his claims of copyright affixed to each. Mem. Op. 1-2; Joint Stipulation (“JS”) 2.

On September 2, 1976, Blackman filed two copies of 53 of these photographs with the United States Register of Copyrights, who thereupon issued Blackman Certificates of Registration of a Claim to Copyright covering all 53 of the photographs. On April 8, 1977, Blackman filed the remaining Ray photograph with the United States Register of Copyrights, and was issued a Certificate of Registration of a Claim to Copyright for it as well. During the period from the creation of the photographs to the present time, Blackman has been the sole proprietor of the copyrights in the photographs, and has been the sole owner of all right, title and interest in the photographs, except as to such interest as he has expressly licensed to other persons. JS 3-5.

On June 14 and 15, 1976, Blackman announced, through the news media, that he was the photographer and owner of nude pictures of Elizabeth Ray, and that rights to publish those photographs were available for purchase. Daniel R. Montgomery, a business acquaintance of Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler, notified Flynt of Blackman’s announcement and obtained Flynt’s permission to negotiate with Black-man on behalf of Hustler for the rights to publish the Ray photographs. Blackman, through his agent William Tucker, sought $25,000 for the North American rights to commercial use of the photographs; Hust *795 ler, through Montgomery, offered $16,000. On June 16, 1976, Tucker flew to Las Vegas, Nevada to negotiate directly with Flynt. The discussions between Tucker and Flynt, recounted in detail in the July 11, 1984 Memorandum Opinion, were inconclusive inasmuch as all involved knew that Blackman had retained authority to approve or reject any agreement negotiated by Tucker. At the close of the June 16, 1976 discussions, Flynt obtained from Tucker copies of the photographs which Tucker had shown to him, and contemporaneously signed a receipt dated June 16, 1976, which noted below the list of photographs received “All copyrighted by photographer Barry M. Blackman.” After signing the receipt Flynt saw in Tucker’s briefcase four original transparencies of additional Ray photographs and asked Tucker to leave those four behind as well. Tucker did so, after adding the four to the receipt. JS 6-11; Mem. Op.

The following day, Blackman sent a telegram to Hustler, which was received by Hustler, stating:

THIS IS TO CONFIRM THE ADVICE OF MY AGENT WILLIAM TUCKER TO YOU YESTERDAY THAT I HAVE RESERVED TO MYSELF PERSONALLY THE SOLE RIGHT TO APPROVE ANY SALE OF MY PHOTOGRAPHS OF ELIZABETH RAY. I AM CONSIDERING YOUR JUNE 16TH, 1976 OFFER AND WILL ADVISE YOU IN WRITING WHETHER I ACCEPT IT. HOWEVER I AM REQUIRING FULL PAYMENT AT THE TIME OF ANY SUCH ACCEPTANCE THAT I MIGHT SUBSEQUENTLY GIVE. [JS 12.]

On June 24, 1976 Blackman and Tucker entered into an agreement with Cheri Magazine for the purchase and sale of rights to the same photographs of Elizabeth Ray which Hustler attempted to purchase. Under the terms of that agreement, Blackman was tendered $20,000, with an additional $10,000 to be forthcoming if the photographs (or any individual photograph) were not published in Hustler or any magazine under the control of Larry Flynt prior to Cheri’s publication. Mem.Op. at 81. Also on June 24, 1976, Blackman sent a telegram to Hustler Magazine, Inc., which was received by Hustler, stating:

THIS IS TO ADVISE THAT I REJECT YOUR OFFER OF JUNE 16 1976 TO PURCHASE MY PHOTOGRAPHS OF ELIZABETH RAY. YOUR $1,000 CHECK IS BEING RETURNED TO YOU BY MAIL.
I HEREBY DEMAND THAT YOU RETURN ALL OF MY PHOTOGRAPHS TRANSPARENCIES PRINTS AND COLOR SEPARATIONS OF ELIZABETH RAY. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH MY REQUEST WILL BE AT YOUR PERIL.

By mail posted the following day, Black-man, through his attorney, returned Flynt’s uncashed check with an accompanying letter from the attorney stating:

As you know, I represent Barry M. Blackman. Mr. Blackman has asked me to return to you the enclosed $1,000 check.
Mr. Blackman has also requested that I .advise you to return to him all of his photographs, transparencies, prints and color separations of Elizabeth Ray. Any further misappropriation or unauthorized use by you of these properties of Mr. Blackman will result in substantial damages to him for which Mr. Blackman intends to hold you responsible. [JS 14-15.]

As of June 16, 1976, and at all pertinent times subsequent thereto, Flynt and Hustler Magazine, Inc., knew that Blackman was the creator of and owner of all rights to the photographs. Nonetheless, Flynt refused to return to Blackman the photographs left with Flynt on June 16 by Tucker. Instead, Hustler published 11 photographs of Elizabeth Ray in its September, 1976 issue and subsequently republished nine of those photographs in “The Best of Hustler # 2”, and republished one Ray photograph in its July, 1979 anniversary issue. All of the photographs of Elizabeth Ray published in the September 1976 and July 1979 issues of Hustler Magazine and in *796 “The Best of Hustler # 2” were made and copied from transparencies, negatives and prints created by Blackman and obtained by Hustler from Tucker on June 16, 1976. Hustler did not identify Blackman as the copyright owner of any of the Elizabeth Ray photographs which it published in any of the three above-mentioned issues. JS 16-22.

In light of all these facts and others, this Court on July 11, 1984, 620 F.Supp. 792, concluded that

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620 F. Supp. 792, 228 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 170, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19346, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blackman-v-hustler-magazine-inc-dcd-1985.