Video Pipeline, Inc. v. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.

275 F. Supp. 2d 543, 67 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1887, 32 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1001, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14086, 2003 WL 21811891
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedAugust 7, 2003
DocketCivil 00-5236(JBS)
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 275 F. Supp. 2d 543 (Video Pipeline, Inc. v. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Video Pipeline, Inc. v. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., 275 F. Supp. 2d 543, 67 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1887, 32 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1001, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14086, 2003 WL 21811891 (D.N.J. 2003).

Opinion

OPINION

SIMANDLE, District Judge.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.BACKGROUND.547

II. DISCUSSION.553

A. Summary Judgment Standard.553

B. Defendant’s Copyright Claims.554

1. Copyright Infringement.554
2. Estoppel .555
3. Registration of Copyright.555
4. Copyright Misuse Defense.557
5. Implied License.558
6. Database as Derivative Work...■.559

C. Plaintiffs Declaratory Judgment Claims .559

1. Copyright Clause.559
2. Fair Use Defense.560

a. Purpose and Character of Use.561

b. Nature of the Copyrighted Work.563

c. Amount and Substantiality of the Portion Used in Relation to the Copyrighted Work as a Whole.563

d. Effect of the Use Upon the Potential Market for or Value of the Copyrighted Work.565

e. Conclusion.566

D. Finding of Copyright Infringement.566

E. Breach of Contract Counterclaim.566

F. Trademark Claims .569

1. Damages Under § 1125(a).574
2. State Unfair Competition Claim.575

G. State Claims for Conversion and Replevin.576

*547 III. CONCLUSION. .576

This case arises out of plaintiff Video Pipeline’s use of defendant Buena Vista Home Entertainment’s motion picture trailers on the internet, and plaintiffs creation of its own clip previews from defendant’s movies, which it streamed to interested customers online. This matter comes before the Court upon plaintiff Video Pipeline’s motion for summary-judgment on its two counts seeking a declaratory judgment that its actions do not constitute copyright infringement, and on defendant/counterclaim-plaintiffs amended counterclaims. Defendant/counterclaim-plaintiff Buena Vista Home Entertainment also moves for summary judgment on its amended counterclaims brought under the Lanham Act and state law, and partial summary judgment on its federal copyright infringement counterclaim, only with respect to plaintiffs conduct post-December 2000.

For the reasons stated below, plaintiffs motion for summary judgment on its declaratory judgment action will be denied, and its motion for summary judgment on defendant’s amended counterclaims will also be denied. Defendant’s motion for summary judgment on its amended counterclaims will be granted, and plaintiff will be ordered to return all in-store trailers it received from defendant during 1993 to 2000.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Video Pipeline compiles and organizes movie studios’ promotional previews (“trailers”), which are used to promote the sales and rentals of home videos. (Pl.’s Answer to Interrogatory, Pl.’s Ex. C, at No. 4; Disney’s Responses to Requests for Admission, Pl.’s Ex. D, at Nos. 2, 4.) Defendant Buena Vista Home Entertainment (“BVHE”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company (“TWDC”), and produces, distributes, and sells home video versions of Disney’s copyrighted motion pictures and other entertainment content, including content under the “Buena Vista” name. (McQueen Cert., Def.’s App. Ex. D, ¶¶ 1-2.) TWDC, through another indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary Walt Disney Pictures and Television (“WDPT”), produces and acquires copyrighted motion pictures and other entertainment content under the “Touchstone Pictures,” “Hollywood Pictures,” “Walt Disney Pictures,” and “Walt Disney Television” labels. (BVHE Vice President for Business and Legal Affairs Kristin McQueen Cert., Defs.’ App. Ex. D, ¶¶ 1, 2.) Through another indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary Miramax, TWDC produces and acquires copyrighted motion pictures that are distributed under the names “Miramax Films” and “Dimension Films.” (McQueen Cert. Defs.’ App. Ex. D, ¶ 3.) BVHE is the exclusive licensee of WDPT in the home video market, and is the exclusive domestic distributor for Miramax in the home video market. 1 (McQueen Cert., Def.’s App. Ex. D, ¶¶ 2, 3.) (“Disney” hereinafter refers to The Walt Disney Company and its various subsidiaries, including BVHE and Miramax.)

Since 1985, plaintiff has been in the business of aggregating trailers and other promotional material obtained from entertainment companies, including Universal, Warner Bros., Twentieth Century Fox, *548 and BVHE and Miramax, into preview programs in videotape format to promote the sales and rentals of their home video products. (Horovitz Aff., PL’s App. Ex. E, ¶ 5.) Since 1985, plaintiff has had agreements with more than 2,000 home video wholesalers and retailers to provide them with compiled promotional previews to be shown by the retailers instore, at the point-of-sale. (Id. ¶ 8.) During the first few years, plaintiff had to edit the material it was sent because it contained sales and marketing information not intended for home video customers, and because the content may have been inappropriate for the particular store or neighborhood. (Id. ¶ 6.) In other cases, plaintiff had to combine clips to create previews when it was sent clips or just copies of the entire movie. (Id.) Since 1985, plaintiff has organized trailers from different studios and provided more than 1.1 million trailers on videotape to over 2,000 home video distributors and retailers promoting home video sales and rentals. (Horovitz Aff., Pl.’s App. Ex. E, ¶¶ 8-9; PL’s Answer to Interrogatory, PL’s Ex. C, at No. 4.)

In 1988, plaintiff entered into a contract with BVHE, called the “Master Clip License Agreement,” in which BVHE granted plaintiff permission to use certain trailers as part of plaintiff’s videotape preview compilations, displayed in stores to promote home video rentals or sales. (Disney’s Answer, ¶ 7; Master Clip License Agreement, PL’s App. Ex. I; Defs.’ App. Ex. K, Tab 50.) The Master Clip License Agreement provided for BVHE to provide plaintiff, the licensee, with trailers to be shown in a manner designated by Disney “from time to time”:

This letter constitutes an agreement between Buena Vista Home Video (“Disney”) and Video Pipeline, Inc.

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275 F. Supp. 2d 543, 67 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1887, 32 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1001, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14086, 2003 WL 21811891, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/video-pipeline-inc-v-buena-vista-home-entertainment-inc-njd-2003.