Fleischer Studios v. Ralph A. Freundlich, Inc.

• Citation: 73 F.2d 276
• Decision Date: 05 November 1934
• Docket Number: No. 63.,63.
• Parties: FLEISCHER STUDIOS, Inc., et al. v. RALPH A. FREUNDLICH, Inc., et al.
• Court: United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (2nd Circuit)

73 F.2d 276 (1934)

FLEISCHER STUDIOS, Inc., et al. v. RALPH A. FREUNDLICH, Inc., et al.

No. 63.

Circuit Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.

November 5, 1934.

Lind, Shlivek, Marks & Brin, of New York City (Max Shlivek and Saul S. Brin, both of New York City, of counsel), for appellants.

Phillips & Nizer, of New York City (Louis Nizer, Arthur B. Krim, and Robert S. Benjamin, all of New York City, of counsel), for appellees.

Before MANTON, L. HAND, and SWAN, Circuit Judges.

MANTON, Circuit Judge.

A decree for copyright infringement was entered below, together with an injunction and reference to a master for the purpose of establishing damages and profits. Infringement resulted from the manufacture by the appellants of dolls copying the appellees' copyrighted book of cartoons, picturing a character called "Betty Boop," which had been popularized on the motion picture screen. The copyright, the complaint alleges, is for a series of original unpublished cartoons in various poses and expressions of a certain female character having a unique and original face, pouting in baby fashion.

Fleischer Studios, Inc., obtained the copyright for this book on July 29, 1931, and it granted to Fleischer Art Service, Inc., an exclusive right to make and publish throughout the world under this copyright copies of prints and reprints, forms, versions, alterations of the work, depicted in copyright, in the form of toys, figures, dolls, statutes, models, and playthings in three dimensional objects. Fleischer Art Service, Inc., later granted to Joseph P. Kallus the exclusive right to make and distribute under the copyright for five years copies thereof, in the form of toys and dolls. He did so, distributing thousands of them.

Appellants deny infringement, and argue that the copyright is invalid because the appellees published copies of the copyrighted work without complying with sections 9 and 18 of the Copyright Law (USCA title 17, §§ 9 and 18). This alleged invalidity presents the question of the sufficiency of notice as required by the statute (USCA title 17, § 9). Any person entitled thereto may secure a copyright for his work by publication thereof with notice of copyright as required by the act. The notice "shall be affixed to each copy thereof published or offered for sale in the United States by authority of the copyright proprietor, except in the case of books seeking ad interim protection under section 21 of this title." Section 18 provides that the notice required by section 9 "shall consist either of the word `Copyright' or the abbreviation `Copr.,' accompanied by the name of the copyright proprietor, and if the work be a printed literary, musical, or dramatic work, the notice shall include also the year in which the copyright was secured by publication."

The appellant argues that the notice, in the form of "Betty Boop des. and copyrighted by Fleischer Studios," which was placed upon the front of the doll's skirt, was insufficient to comply with the statute, and that each appellee assumed direct responsibility for the form of the notice so affixed to the appellees' doll. The notice is claimed to be insufficient, in that it fails to use the correct name, Fleischer Studios, Inc., instead of Fleischer Studios, and omits the year of the grant of the copyright. The argument proceeds that the law of copyright is statutory and demands strict compliance with the requirements of notice if the copyright is to receive protection under the statute. Caliga v. Inter Ocean Newspaper Co., 215 U. S. 182, 30 S. Ct. 38, 54 L. Ed. 150; American Tobacco Co. v. Werckmeister, 207 U. S. 284, 28 S. Ct. 72, 52 L. Ed. 208, 12 Ann. Cas. 595. The provisions of the statute, as to notice, must be complied with in making and selling a copyrighted article, or otherwise there is a dedication to the public and the copyright protection is lost. "Publication with notice of copyright is the essence of compliance with the statute, and publication without such notice amounts to a dedication to the public sufficient to defeat all subsequent efforts at copyright protection." Universal Film Mfg. Co. v. Copperman (D. C.) 212 F. 301, 302, affirmed (C. C. A.) 218 F. 577. See Mifflin v. R. H. White Co., 190 U. S. 260, 23 S. Ct. 769, 47 L. Ed. 1040; Thompson v. Hubbard, 131 U. S. 123, 9 S. Ct. 710, 33 L. Ed. 76; Haas v. Leo Feist, Inc. (D. C.) 234 F. 105.

However, failure to add "Inc." to the name Fleischer Studios was not fatal to the notice as to the proprietor of the copyright. The omission in no way disguised the identity of the party who had registered the copyright. The notice as given disclosed the identity of the proprietor. It is no different from instances where the copyright is taken out in the full name of the owner and the notice on copies included only the surname or some abbreviation. Such notices have been held sufficient. Burrow-Giles Litho. Co. v. Sarony, 111 U. S. 53, 4 S. Ct. 279, 28 L. Ed. 349; Woodman v. Lydiard-Peterson Co. (C. C.) 192 F. 67. The purpose of the statute's requirement as to notice is to prevent innocent persons who are unaware of the existence of the copyright from suffering for making use of the copyrighted article. W. H. Anderson v. Baldwin Law Pub. Co., 27 F.(2d) 82 (C. C. A. 6); Stecher Litho. Co. v. Dunston Litho. Co. (D. C.) 233 F. 601. A reasonable construction of the statutory requirement shows that the name of the copyright proprietor, is sufficient in form, if it gives notice of copyright to one who is looking for the truth and who desires to avoid infringement. This name, "Fleischer Studios," would lead such a person to the owner and would sufficiently aid in tracing his title if need be. Werckmeister v. Springer Litho. Co. (C. C.) 63 F. 808; Scribner v....