Titan Sports, Inc. v. Comics World Corp.

870 F.2d 85, 16 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1408, 10 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1311, 1989 U.S. App. LEXIS 3232, 1989 WL 22321
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedMarch 14, 1989
DocketNo. 507, Docket 88-7734
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 870 F.2d 85 (Titan Sports, Inc. v. Comics World Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Titan Sports, Inc. v. Comics World Corp., 870 F.2d 85, 16 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1408, 10 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1311, 1989 U.S. App. LEXIS 3232, 1989 WL 22321 (2d Cir. 1989).

Opinion

ALTIMARI, Circuit Judge:

Plaintiff-appellant Titan Sports, Inc. appeals from a judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Leisure, J.), 690 F.Supp. 1315 (S.D.N.Y.1988), granting defendants-appel-lees’ motion for summary judgment for failure to raise a genuine issue of material fact sufficient to establish a claim under New York Civil Rights Law section 51 (“section 51”). N.Y.Civ.Rights Law § 51 (McKinney Supp.1988) On this appeal, we grapple with the issue of whether section 51 applies to the oversized photographs of professional wrestlers published by the defendants. Because we find that there is a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the photographs were used for “purposes of trade,” we reverse.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff-appellant Titan Sports, Inc. (“Titan”) promotes professional wrestling events under the trademarks “World Wrestling Federation" and “WWF.” Affiliated with Titan are the well-known wrestling stars Hulk Hogan, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Lou Albano, and Bruno Sammartino, among others. The dispute in this diversity action centers around numerous oversized photographs of Titan’s wrestlers included in publications produced by defendant Comics World Corporation (“Comics World”) entitled, inter alia, Wrestling All-Stars Poster Magazine and Wrestling All Stars Giant Pin-Ups. The disputed photographs are printed in full color on pages four times as large as the pages comprising the balance of the Comics World publications. Up to ten of these photographs are folded and stapled into the center of each publication so that they may not be viewed in their entirety unless uns-tapled and removed. The blurb “10 FULL COLOR WRESTLING POSTERS! HUGE SIZE!” or some variation of this theme, appears on the cover of Comics World’s publications. Neither Titan nor the individ[87]*87ual wrestlers had consented to Comics World’s publication of the photographs.

For purposes of deciding the motions filed in the district court, the parties agreed that Titan “is the owner of all rights in the names and likenesses” of the wrestlers affiliated with Titan. Titan’s wrestlers perform on a regular basis at approximately 200 arenas throughout the United States and Canada and are featured on several regularly scheduled broadcast and cable television programs produced by Titan. Titan also sells and/or licenses various products, including posters, bearing the names and likenesses of the wrestlers.

Titan made a variety of claims against Comics World in the district court. By agreement between the parties, all claims other than the one brought pursuant to section 51 were dismissed. The district court found Comics World’s product to be “a bona fide newsstand publication” and concluded that this circumstance rendered its use of the photographs protected by the first amendment. Accordingly, the district court granted Comics World’s motion for summary judgment under Fed.R.Civ.P. 56.

DISCUSSION

In order to survive a motion for summary judgment, the party opposing the motion must provide a sufficient factual basis so that when all reasonable inferences therefrom are drawn in its favor, “the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986); see R.C. Bigelow, Inc. v. Unilever N.V., 867 F.2d 102, 107 (2d Cir.1989).

Titan contends that the district court improperly granted Comics World’s motion for a summary judgment because the record contains a sufficient factual basis for a jury to return a favorable verdict regarding Titan’s section 51 claim and because that claim, based on New York’s interpretation of the statute, does not encounter first amendment objection. We agree.

Section 51 provides remedies for the commercialization of an individual’s personality without his consent. Stephano v. News Group Publications, Inc., 64 N.Y.2d 174, 183, 485 N.Y.S.2d 220, 224, 474 N.E.2d 580, 584 (1984). In order to establish a violation of section 51, a plaintiff must show that the defendant made use, within the state of New York, of plaintiff’s name, portrait, or picture “for advertising purposes or for the purposes of trade” without plaintiff’s written consent. N.Y.Civ.Rights Law § 51; see, e.g., Brinkley v. Casablancas, 80 A.D.2d 428, 438 N.Y.S.2d 1004, 1007 (1st Dep’t 1981). Comics World conceded that it published, sold, or distributed photographs of Titan wrestlers in New York without Titan’s consent. The parties offered differing views to the district court, however, as to whether Comics World’s use of the photographs was for purposes of advertising or trade. Judge Leisure properly determined, and Titan does not now contest, that Comics World’s use of the photographs was not for advertising purposes. The only issue on appeal, therefore, concerns the narrow, albeit difficult, question of whether the use was for the purposes of trade.

Section 51 does not define “purposes of trade.” However, the New York courts, cognizant of first amendment limitations, have made it clear that this term does not apply to “publications concerning newsworthy events or matters of public interest.” Stephano, 485 N.Y.S.2d at 224, 474 N.E.2d at 584; see also Lerman v. Flynt Distributing Co., 745 F.2d 123, 131 (2d Cir.1984), cert. denied, 471 U.S. 1054, 105 S.Ct. 2114, 85 L.Ed.2d 479 (1985); Arrington v. New York Times Co., 55 N.Y.2d 433, 440, 449 N.Y.S.2d 941, 944, 434 N.E.2d 1319, 1322 (1982), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1146, 103 S.Ct. 787, 74 L.Ed.2d 994 (1983); Murray v. New York Magazine Co., 27 N.Y.2d 406, 409, 318 N.Y.S.2d 474, 476, 267 N.E.2d 256, 257 (1971). Moreover, the New York courts have recognized that an insignificant public interest aspect of a “publication” cannot exempt it from the reach of section 51 where the primary aspect of the product is commercial. Thus, it is appropriate for a court to consider “whether the [88]*88public interest aspect of the publication is merely incidental to its commercial purpose.” Davis v. High Society Magazine, Inc., 90 A.D.2d 374, 457 N.Y.S.2d 308, 313 (2d Dep’t 1982) (citing Gautier v. ProFootball, Inc., 304 N.Y. 354, 359, 107 N.E. 2d 485 (1952), and Brinkley, 438 N.Y.S.2d at 1004).

In the same vein, the New York courts have recognized that presentation of an item within a publication generally entitled to first amendment protection may constitute a use for purposes of trade, which is not entitled to first amendment protection. Thus, a photograph accompanying an article concerning a matter of public interest may still be considered a use for the purposes of trade if “it has no real relationship to the article ... or ... the article is an advertisement in disguise.” Stephano, 485 N.Y.S.2d at 225, 474 N.E.2d at 585 (quoting Murray,

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Titan Sports, Inc. v. Comics World Corporation
870 F.2d 85 (Second Circuit, 1989)

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Bluebook (online)
870 F.2d 85, 16 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1408, 10 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1311, 1989 U.S. App. LEXIS 3232, 1989 WL 22321, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/titan-sports-inc-v-comics-world-corp-ca2-1989.