Reinsdorf v. Skechers U.S.A.

922 F. Supp. 2d 866, 2013 WL 454828, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16223
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedFebruary 6, 2013
DocketCase No. CV 10-07181 DDP (SSx)
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 922 F. Supp. 2d 866 (Reinsdorf v. Skechers U.S.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Reinsdorf v. Skechers U.S.A., 922 F. Supp. 2d 866, 2013 WL 454828, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16223 (C.D. Cal. 2013).

Opinion

AMENDED ORDER RE: DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT, MOTIONS IN LI-MINE, AND OBJECTIONS TO EVIDENCE

[Dkt. No. 198]

DEAN D. PREGERSON, District Judge.

Presently before the court is Defendant Skechers U.S.A. (“Skechers”)’s Motion for Summary Judgment. Having considered the submissions of the parties and heard oral argument, the court grants the motion in part, denies the motion in part, and adopts the following amended order.1

[870]*870I. Background

As explained in this court’s earlier order denying Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss, Skechers is a shoe company. (Declaration of Robert Welsh in support of Motion (“Welsh Dec.”) Ex. 19.) Beginning in 2005, Skechers hired Plaintiff Richard Reinsdorf (“Reinsdorf’), a photographer, to conduct several photo shoots. (Undisputed Fact ¶ 6). Between 2006 and 2009, Skechers engaged Reinsdorf to conduct five photo shoots at issue here, in connection with Skechers’s marketing efforts. (Complaint ¶¶ 14-15, 18-19, 22-23, 25, 29-30.) Prior to each photo shoot, Skechers explained to Reinsdorf the type of images Skechers hoped to capture. (Welsh Dec., Ex. 44 ¶¶ 10, 12.) These explanations included storyboards and photographic examples, as well as drawings depicting particular poses for Skechers’ selected models. (Id. ¶¶ 12, 14.) During the shoots, Reinsdorf posed models, arranged lighting and props, and otherwise directed the photography sessions. (Compl. 1123.) Reinsdorf delivered raw photographs (“the photographs”) to Skechers at the conclusion of each photo shoot. (UF ¶ 22.)

Upon receiving the photographs from Reinsdorf, Skechers proceeded to modify the images for use in Skechers advertisements. (Welsh Dec., Ex. 44 ¶ 17.) The alterations varied with each image, and ranged from slight modifications in models’ skin tone to the substitution of models’ body parts and the addition of substantial graphic effects. (Id. ¶¶ 17, 21.) These enhanced images were then used in Skechers advertisements (“the advertisements”). (Id. ¶ 16.) No raw, unaltered photograph was ever incorporated into a finished advertisement. (Id.)

Reinsdorf submitted invoices to Skechers for his services, and contends that he granted Skechers a limited license to use the photographs. (Compl. ¶¶ 442; Statement of Genuine Issues ¶¶ 16-20, 22). Reinsdorf brought suit in this court alleging copyright infringement, as well as state law causes of action for breach of contract and unfair competition, alleging that Skechers utilized his copyrighted images as part of Skechers’ marketing efforts in violation of the temporal and geographic limits of the use licenses. (Compl. ¶ 6.) Skechers now moves for summary judgment.

II. Legal Standard

Summary judgment is appropriate where the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show “that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(a). A party seeking summary judgment bears the initial burden of informing the court of the basis for its motion and of identifying those portions of the pleadings and discovery responses that demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. See Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). All reasonable inferences from the evidence must be drawn in favor of the nonmoving party. See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 242, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). If the moving party does not bear the burden of proof at trial, it is entitled to summary judgment if it can demonstrate that “there is an absence of evidence to support the nonmoving party’s case.” Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548.

Once the moving party meets its burden, the burden shifts to the nonmoving party opposing the motion, who must “set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 256, 106 S.Ct. 2505. Summary judgment is warranted if a party “fails to make a [871]*871showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.” Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548. A genuine issue exists if “the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party,” and material facts are those “that might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505. There is no genuine issue of fact “[wjhere the record taken as a whole could not lead a rational trier of fact to find for the nonmoving party.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986).

It is not the court’s task “to scour the record in search of a genuine issue of triable fact.” Keenan v. Allan, 91 F.3d 1275, 1278 (9th Cir.1996). Counsel has an obligation to lay out their support clearly. Carmen v. San Francisco Sch. Dist., 237 F.3d 1026, 1031 (9th Cir.2001). The court “need not examine the entire file for evidence establishing a genuine issue of fact, where the evidence is not set forth in the opposition papers with adequate references so that it could conveniently be found.” Id.

III. Discussion

A. Procedural History

Skechers previously brought a Motion to Dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, arguing that the advertisements at issue in this case are joint works created by both Reinsdorf and Skechers. Because the jurisdictional issues were inextricably entwined with the merits of the case, this court applied the more rigorous standard applicable to motions for summary judgment under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56. (See March 9, 2012 Order Denying Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (“Order”), Dkt. No. 28.)

As explained in the court’s earlier Order, a joint work is a copyrightable work prepared by (1) two or more authors who (2) make independently copyrightable contributions and (3) intend that those contributions be “merged into inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole.” Richlin v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Inc., 531 F.3d 962, 969 (9th Cir. 2008). Co-authors in a joint work cannot be held liable to one another for infringement of the copyright in the joint work. Oddo v. Ries, 743 F.2d 630, 632-33 (9th Cir.1984); Thomson v. Larson, 147 F.3d 195, 199 (2d Cir.1998).

This court found that the first two factors, authorship and independently copyrightable contributions, were not at issue.

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922 F. Supp. 2d 866, 2013 WL 454828, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16223, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reinsdorf-v-skechers-usa-cacd-2013.