King v. Allied Vision, Ltd.

155 F.R.D. 440, 31 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1403, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3615, 1994 WL 144869
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMarch 25, 1994
DocketNo. 92 Civ. 3852 (CBM)
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 155 F.R.D. 440 (King v. Allied Vision, Ltd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
King v. Allied Vision, Ltd., 155 F.R.D. 440, 31 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1403, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3615, 1994 WL 144869 (S.D.N.Y. 1994).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

MOTLEY, District Judge.

Plaintiff Stephen King (“King”) moves for an order to hold defendant New Line Cinema Corporation (“New Line”) in contempt of court for violating the Final Consent Decree settling the promotion and distribution of the “The Lawnmower Man” videocassette. Defendant, in turn, has cross-moved for sanctions and attorneys fees. Plaintiff has also filed a post-trial motion under Rule 11 of the Fed.R.Civ.P. against defendant seeking sanctions for maintaining a frivolous defense and filing a frivolous cross-motion.

For the following reasons, plaintiff’s contempt motion is granted and defendant is ordered to cure its contempt within thirty days of this opinion and pay damages as outlined herein. However, defendant’s cross-[443]*443motion and plaintiffs post-trial Rule 11 motion are both denied.

FINDINGS OF FACT

I. Background

1. In this action, which was commenced on May 28, 1992, plaintiff Stephen King sought injunctive and monetary relief for defendants’ alleged misattribution to King of the motion picture entitled “The Lawnmower Man” through use of both “possessory” and “based upon” credits in violation of, inter alia, § 43(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a).

2. On July 2, 1993, after a three day evidentiary hearing, this court entered a preliminary injunction prohibiting defendants from utilizing King’s name in connection with the “Lawnmower Man” film, included as part of the “possessory” and “based upon” credits.

3. On July 16, 1992, the Second Circuit granted in part defendants’ motion for a stay of the preliminary injunction order as it applied to the “based upon” credit.

4. The Second Circuit ultimately affirmed the preliminary injunction order as to the possessory credit but reversed as to the based upon credit, although both issues remained open for the plenary trial. King v. Innovation Books, 976 F.2d 824 (2d Cir. 1992).

5. Immediately after it obtained the partial stay referred to in ¶ 3 hereof, New Line, through its subsidiary New Line Home Video, Inc. and its licensees, Columbia Tri Star Home Video, Inc. (in the United States) and Alliance Releasing Co., Inc. (in Canada), commenced distribution of hundreds of thousands of videocassettes in packages or so-called “sleeves” that bore the words “Based on a Story by Stephen King” in two places: (a) in small letters as part of the “credit block” on the back of the sleeve; and (b) in larger letters constituting a three inch long credit prominently placed on the front of the sleeve.

6. On May 13, 1993, following additional discovery and shortly before the plenary trial of this action was scheduled to commence, a Settlement Agreement was executed by all parties.

II. The Final Consent Decree

7. Among its various provisions, the Settlement Agreement incorporated by reference a Final Consent Decree which was simultaneously executed by the parties and signed by this court on May 17, 1993 (the “Decree”).

8. ¶ 1(a) of the Decree prohibited, among other things, all use of King’s name worldwide in connection with “The Lawnmower Man” film and all related properties and products, in all media, in broad, sweeping terms, as follows:

Defendants, their parents, affiliates and subsidiaries, and all officers, directors, agents, servants, employees, licensees, distributors, successors and assigns thereof, and all other persons or entities in active concert or participation with any of them ... shall not use Stephen King’s name, directly or indirectly, anywhere in the world, on or in connection with the motion picture ... entitled “The Lawnmower Man” ... in any medium or format ... including, without limitation, ... distribution on videocassette for home use or otherwise ... or in connection with any advertising or promotion of any of the foregoing. ...

9. ¶ 2 of the Decree required New Line to immediately distribute to all entities participating in the distribution or other commercial exploitation of “The Lawnmower Man” a copy of the Decree, together with a Letter of Instruction, in the form annexed as Exhibit 1 to the Decree, that explained in simple, direct language- the terms of the Decree and demanded compliance therewith:

Each of the Defendants shall take immediate steps to provide by certified mail return receipt requested ... a copy of this Final Consent Decree to all its respective licensees, distributors, successors and assigns embraced by the terms hereof, and all other persons or entities to which each of the Defendants has granted, or grants in the future, the right to engage in any of the commercial activities or forms of exploitation described in ¶ 1(a) hereof, ac-[444]*444eompanied by a letter of instruction in the form annexed hereto as Exhibit 1 ... which explains the terms of the Final Consent Decree, and demands assurance that they will, in all respects, abide thereby.

10. ¶4 of the Decree required that all entities that had received distribution of “The Lawnmower Man” videos be supplied with “paste-over” stickers to obliterate King’s name from all existing and future inventory of such videos, or alternatively, new sleeves making no reference to King, together with a detailed cease and desist letter demanding that the recipients of the paste-over stickers or new sleeves make the corrective application or substitution, as applicable, and informing them of the terms of the Decree:

Each of the Defendants shall supply all of its wholesalers or others to which it has made distribution of videocassettes or other formats of the Motion Picture with package “paste-over” stickers, or alternatively, new packages on which the name of Stephen King is not displayed, and demand in a letter, sent by certified mail, ... which shall accompany the “paste-over” stickers and/or new packages being provided to said wholesalers or others that such entities affix the new “paste-over” covers onto the old packages, or, alternatively, replace the old packages with the new packages, and further issue instructions to such entities to cease and desist from all advertising or promotion relating to the Motion Picture ... which is not in strict conformity with the mandates of the Final Consent Decree.

11. ¶ 6 of the Decree required defendants to furnish King’s counsel within 30 days with affidavits “describing with particularity the efforts undertaken by each of them to effectuate compliance” with the requirements of the Decree.

III. New Line’s Noncompliance with the Mandates of the Final Consent Decree

A'. Noncompliance with ¶2.

12. With the exception of ¶ 6, neither the consent decree nor the settlement agreement contain any specific deadlines for compliance. However, New Line was required to take “immediate steps” to effect compliance which became effective on May 17. Sonya Thomp-sen, New Line’s Vice President for Business Affairs Administration and the primary employee responsible for ensuring compliance, was not provided with a copy of the Decree or even assigned this responsibility until at least June 10, 1993, more than three weeks after the Decree was signed.

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Bluebook (online)
155 F.R.D. 440, 31 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1403, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3615, 1994 WL 144869, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/king-v-allied-vision-ltd-nysd-1994.