Fred Riley Home Building Corp. v. Cosgrove

883 F. Supp. 1478, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10279, 1995 WL 254406
District Court, D. Kansas·Decided March 20, 1995·No. No. 93-2313-KHV·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

NEWMAN, United States Magistrate Judge.

Now pending before the court are the following post-trial motions (doe. 237) filed by plaintiffs:

1. Motion for New Trial on Century House Infringement by Plaintiff Riley;
2. Motion to Alter or Amend Judgment or for Entry of Judgment as a Matter of Law as to Count I;
3. Motion to Amend Judgment or for Judgment as a Matter of Law on Count II as to Defendants’ Profits;
4. Motion for Reconsideration of Judgment on Count III; and
5. Motion to Amend Judgment to Include Award of Costs of Service.

Plaintiffs’ motions address only the court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law and do not challenge rulings on the admissibility of [1481]*1481evidence or instruction of the jury. The issues related to plaintiff Bonnie’s Designs, Inc. have been resolved and the motions will be considered on behalf of plaintiffs Fred Riley Home Building Corporation (“Riley”) and Don Julian d/b/a Don Julian Builders (“Julian”) only.

Motion for New Trial on Century House Infringement by Plaintiffs Riley.

Plaintiff Riley seeks a new trial pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 59(a) on its claims under Count I for infringement of a copyright in Century House. Generally, motions for new trial are committed to the discretion of the district court. McDonough Power Equipment, Inc. v. Greenwood, 464 U.S. 548, 556, 104 S.Ct. 845, 850, 78 L.Ed.2d 663 (1984). The trial court has broad discretion in ruling on a motion for new trial. Brownlow v. Aman, 740 F.2d 1476, 1491 (10th Cir.1984).

Riley argues that the court erred in finding that the copyright registration as to Century House was invalid. It claims that it presented prima facie evidence that Century House was subject to a valid copyright as a derivative architectural work of the Summit House and, therefore, it was entitled to have the jury consider its claims of infringement as to the Century House copyright. 17 U.S.C. § 410 provides that the certificate of registration shall constitute prima facie evidence of the validity of the copyright and the facts stated in the certificate. However, the evidentiary weight to be accorded to the certificate is within the discretion of the court. Once the plaintiff produces a copyright certificate he establishes a prima facie case of validity of the copyright and the burden of production shifts to the defendant to introduce evidence of invalidity. Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc. v. Toy Loft, Inc., 684 F.2d 821, 826 (11th Cir.1982). The presumption created by the prima facie evidence is not irrebuttable. When evidence is offered which easts doubt on the question of the validity of the copyright, validity will not be presumed. Durham Industries, Inc. v. Tomy Corp., 630 F.2d 905 (2d Cir.1980). When evidence is presented disputing the copyright the ultimate burden of proof of its validity is with the party claiming under it. Keeler Brass Company v. Continental Brass Company, 862 F.2d 1063 (4th Cir.1988). The presumption merely orders the burdens of proof. “The plaintiff should not ordinarily be forced in the first instance to prove all of the multitude of facts that underline the validity of the copyright unless the defendant, by effectively challenging them, shifts the burden of doing so to the plaintiff.” Carol Barnhart, Inc. v. Economy Cover Corporation, 773 F.2d 411, 414 (2d Cir.1985). The shifting of the burden on production of evidence is similar to that employed in Title VII cases with the ultimate burden of persuasion remaining with the plaintiff. Cf. Murray v. City of Sapulpa, 45 F.3d 1417 (10th Cir. 1995).

Riley failed to carry its burden of proof establishing the validity of this copyright. Simply presenting prima facie evidence of a copyright by admission into evidence of its registration does not require the court to submit the issue of its validity to the jury when the defendant has produced substantial competent evidence of invalidity and the plaintiff has failed to rebut the defendant’s evidence.

At the time of trial, the court found that there was no evidence from which a jury could determine that the copyright, as to the Century House, was valid as a derivative work of the Summit House, co-authored by Riley and Bonnie’s Designs. While Riley presented the copyright registration, defendants presented evidence directly controverting the facts contained in it. Defendants’ evidence consisted of the testimony of Fred Riley, president of Riley, and Bonnie Lay, president of Bonnie’s Designs, both of whom signed the copyright registration. Fred Riley testified that Lay did not participate in making the changes to the Summit House which formed the basis for the claimed derivative copyright on the Century House. He further testified that Riley did not claim ownership of the copyright until the filing of this action and that prior to that time he had recognized Bonnie’s Designs as the holder of the copyright and had executed various disclaimers related to the copyright with the Home Builder’s Association. The defendants [1482]*1482offered into evidence various entry forms submitted by Riley to the Home Builder’s Association in which Riley represented that Bonnie’s Designs was the owner of the copyright and wherein Riley disclaimed any interest in the copyright. Bonnie Lay testified that the Century House plans were drawn and Century House was constructed without her knowledge or consent; that Riley used portions of other elevations that she had drawn for other houses, without her knowledge, to create the elevation on Century House; and that the floor plans were the ones she had drawn for the Summit House. She testified that prior to the execution of the registration certificate there had been no writing between Bonnie’s Designs and Riley related to the copyright. She further testified that prior to the registration of the copyright she had been the owner of the copyright. Upon the admission of such evidence, the presumption created by the Certificate of Registration was rebutted and the burden was on Riley to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, the essential elements necessary to establish ownership of the copyright. This, Riley failed to do.

Notwithstanding, the evidence concerning the preparation of the Century House plans was undisputed. Therefore, no issues of fact remained to be submitted to the jury. The court was required to apply the law to the undisputed facts.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Fred Riley Home Building Corp. v. Cosgrove, 883 F. Supp. 1478, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10279, 1995 WL 254406 (D. Kan. 1995).

883 F. Supp. 1478 (Fred Riley Home Building Corp. v. Cosgrove) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

TMTV, Corp. v. Mass Productions, Inc.
345 F. Supp. 2d 196 (D. Puerto Rico, 2004)
Clogston v. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
930 F. Supp. 1156 (W.D. Texas, 1996)