Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Donnelly

35 F. Supp. 425, 48 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 11, 1940 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2557
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedSeptember 3, 1940
Docket188 T
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 35 F. Supp. 425 (Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Donnelly) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Donnelly, 35 F. Supp. 425, 48 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 11, 1940 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2557 (S.D. Fla. 1940).

Opinion

BARKER, District Judge,

This cause coming on to be heard upon plaintiff’s sworn complaint, and the testimony taken in support thereof, and it appearing to the court that default has been duly entered against the defendant, Fred F. Donnelly and Fred F. Donnelly doing business as Florida Directory Company, for failure of the said defendant to appear, plead, answer or otherwise defend in accordance with the rules of practice of this court, and the court being fully advised in the premises, does find:

Findings of Fact.

1. That this court has jurisdiction of the plaintiff, Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company, a corporation, and of the defendant, Fred F. Donnelly and Fred F. Donnelly doing business as Florida Directory Company, and of the subject matter of this cause.

2. That Fred F. Donnelly was at all times during the years 1938 and 1939, the period material to the subject matter of this suit, the owner and operator of “Florida Directory Company”, and that one J. Novotny, named in the complaint in this cause, at no time during the said period had an interest in the ownership of “Florida Directory Company”, or a part in its operation, and that “Florida Directory Company” was, during the said period, and is, a trade-name used by the defendant, Fred F. Donnelly, in the publication of certain criss-cross directories hereinafter described.

3. That on or about May 19, 1939, plaintiff, created, compiled and wrote an original book entitled, “Telephone Directory, Jacksonville, Florida, May, 1939, corrected through April 15, 1939, by William R. Whitaker, Directory Manager”, and that said book was duly published, copyrighted and registered under the Acts of Congress applicable thereto, and that certificate of registration was issued thereon, dated and identified as follows: “May 19th, 1939, Class AA, No. 299690”, and that plaintiff is the sole proprietor and owner of all right, title and interest in and to its copyright on the said book.

4. That subsequent to the perfection by the plaintiff of its copyright on the said book entitled “Telephone Directory, Jacksonville, Florida, May, 1939, corrected through April 15th, 1939, by William R. Whitaker, Directory Manager”, the defendant, Fred F. Donnelly, doing business as and under the name of “Florida Directory Company”, published and distributed his book entitled “Jacksonville Yellow Book Criss-Cross Telephone Directory, Jacksonville, Florida, July, 1939”, and that said book was copied from plaintiff’s copyrighted book aforesaid, and that the action and conduct of the defendant, Fred F. Donnelly, as aforesaid, constitutes an infringement upon and violation of plaintiff’s said copyright.

5. That on or about December 19, 1939, plaintiff created, compiled and wrote an original book entitled, “Telephone Directory, Jacksonville, Florida, December, 1938, corrected through November 15, 1938, by William R. Whitaker, Directory Manager”, and that said book was duly published, copyrighted and registered under the Acts of Congress applicable thereto, and that certificate of registration was issued thereon, dated and identified as follows: “December 19th, 1938, Class AA, No. 287402”, and that plaintiff is the sole proprietor and owner of all right, title and *426 interest in and to its copyright on the said book.

6. That subsequent to the perfection by the plaintiff of its copyright on the said book entitled “Telephone Directory, Jacksonville, Florida, December, 1938, corrected through November 15th, 1938, by William R. Whitaker, Directory Manager”, the defendant, Fred F. Donnelly, doing business as and under the name of “Florida Directory Company”, published and distributed his book entitled “Jacksonville Yellow Book Criss-Cross Telephone Directory, Jacksonville, Florida, February, 1939”, and that said book was copied from plaintiff’s copyrighted book aforesaid, and that the action and conduct of the defendant, Fred F. Donnelly, as aforesaid, constitutes an infringment upon and violation of plaintiff’s said copyright.

7. That on or about December 27, 1937, plaintiff created, compiled and wrote an original book entitled, “Telephone Directory, Mobile, Alabama, December, 1937, corrected through November 24th, 1937, by William R. Whitaker, Directory Manager”, and that said book was duly published, copyrighted and registered under the Acts of Congress applicable thereto, and that certificate of registration was issued thereon, dated and identified as follows: “December 27th, 1937, Class AA, No. 255296”, and that plaintiff is the sole proprietor and owner of all right, title and interest in and to its copyright on the said book.

8. That subsequent to the perfection by the plaintiff of its copyright on the said book entitled “Telephone Directory, Mobile, Alabama, December, 1937, corrected through November 24th, 1937, by William R. Whitaker, Directory Manager”, the defendant, Fred F. Donnelly, doing business as and under the name of “Donnelly Publishing Company”, published and distributed his book entitled “Donnelly’s Yellow Book Criss-Cross Telephone Directory, Mobile, Alabama, 1938”, and that said book was copied from plaintiff’s copyrighted book aforesaid, and that the action and conduct of the defendant, Fred F. Donnelly, as aforesaid, constitutes an infringement upon and violation of plaintiff’s said copyright.

9. That on or about June 25, 1938, plaintiff created, compiled and wrote an original book entitled, “Telephone Directory, Nashville, Tennessee, June, 1938, corrected through May 25th, 1938, by William R. Whitaker, Directory Manager”, and that said book was duly published, copyrighted and registered under the Acts of Congress applicable thereto, and that certificate of registration was issued thereon, dated and identified as follows: “June 25th, 1938, Class AA, No. 271721”, and that plaintiff is the sole proprietor and owner of all right, title and interest in and to its copyright on the said book.

10. That subsequent to the perfection by the plaintiff of its copyright on the said book entitled “Telephone Directory, Nashville, Tennessee, June, 1938, corrected through May 25th, 1938, by William ■ R. Whitaker, Directory Manáger”, the defendant, Fred F. Donnelly, doing business as and under the name of “Donnelly Publishing Company”, published and distributed his book entitled, “Donnelly’s Yellow Book Criss-Cross Telephone Directory, Nashville, Tenn., July, 1938”, and that said book was copied from plaintiff’s copyrighted book aforesaid, and that the action and conduct of the defendant, Fred F. Donnelly, as aforesaid, constitutes an infringement upon and violation of plaintiff’s said copyright.

11. That on or about May 8, 1936, the Lexington (Ky.) Telephone Company, Incorporated, created, compiled and wrote an original book entitled, “Lexington (Ky.) Telephone Directory, May, 1936, by Lexington Telephone Company, Inc., of the United States”, and that said book was duly published, copyrighted and registered under the Acts of Congress applicable thereto, and that certificate of registration was issued thereon, dated and identified as follows: “May 8th, 1936, Class AA, No. 203796”, and that Lexington (Ky.) Telephone Company, Incorporated, is the sole proprietor and owner of all right, title and interest in and to its copyright on the said book.

12.

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35 F. Supp. 425, 48 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 11, 1940 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2557, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-bell-telephone-telegraph-co-v-donnelly-flsd-1940.