Latin Amer. Music v. Arch., San Juan, Cath. Church

• Decision Date: 16 August 2007
• Docket Number: No. 05-2806.,05-2806.
• Citation: 499 F.3d 32
• Parties: LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC CO., INC. and Asociación de Compositores y Editores de Música Latinomericana, Plaintiffs, Appellants, Turabo Radio Corp., et al., Plaintiffs, Southern Music Publishing Co., Inc., et al., Plaintiffs, Appellees v. THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN JUAN OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC & APOSTOLIC CHURCH, et al., Defendants, Appellees.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — First Circuit

499 F.3d 32

LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC CO., INC. and Asociación de Compositores y Editores de Música Latinomericana, Plaintiffs, Appellants Turabo Radio Corp., et al., Plaintiffs Southern Music Publishing Co., Inc., et al., Plaintiffs, Appellees v. THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN JUAN OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC & APOSTOLIC CHURCH, et al., Defendants, Appellees.

No. 05-2806.

United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit.

Heard March 8, 2007.

Decided August 16, 2007.

Jane Becker Whitaker, with whom Law Offices of Jane Becker Whitaker, and Angel N. Caro, were on brief, for appellants.

Richard H. Reimer, with whom Diego A. Ramos, Fiddler González & Rodriguez, PSC, Stephen S. Young, and Holland & Knight, LLP, were on brief for appellee American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

Barry I. Slotnick, with whom Jacques Rimokh, Loeb & Loeb, LLP and Adsuar Muñiz Goyco & Besosa, PSC, were on brief for appellees, Southern Music Publishing Co., Inc., et al.

Before LIPEZ, Circuit Judge, SELYA, Senior Circuit Judge, and DICLERICO, JR.,^* District Judge.

DICLERICO, District Judge.

Latin American Music Company ("LAMCO") and Asociación de Compositores y Editores de Música Latino Americana ("ACEMLA") brought suit in 1996, alleging that the Archdiocese of San Juan of the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church, through its two radio stations, along with ten other radio broadcasters, were infringing their copyrights in fifty-one songs.¹ The case then expanded to include other claims and parties and was consolidated with four related cases, which together involved copyrights to more than five hundred songs. LAMCO and ACEMLA appeal decisions by the district court that denied their infringement claims as to five songs; allocated half of the obligation to pay for a special master's fees to LAMCO and ACEMLA; dismissed their claims, counterclaims, and defenses as a sanction; and held that they were infringing copyrights owned by other parties.

I.

Luis Raul Bernard founded LAMCO, a music publisher based in New York, and ACEMLA, a performance rights society² affiliated with LAMCO and based in Puerto Rico. Bernard is the chief executive officer, director, and majority stockholder of both LAMCO and ACEMLA. Because LAMCO and ACEMLA are closely aligned in this case, we will refer to them as "LAMCO/ACEMLA," unless individual differentiation is necessary.

In response to the infringement suit brought against them by LAMCO/ACEMLA, the Archdiocese and the other radio broadcaster defendants (collectively referred to as "the Broadcasters") brought counterclaims against LAMCO/ACEMLA. They also filed third-party complaints against Broadcast Music, Inc., Peer International Corporation, and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers ("ASCAP"), seeking indemnification and a defense against the claims brought by LAMCO/ACEMLA.³ ASCAP and LAMCO/ACEMLA disputed the rights to five of the songs listed in the LAMCO/ACEMLA complaint and agreed that resolution of the ownership and copyright issues as to those songs could serve as a roadmap for resolving the same issues as to the other songs disputed by the parties. ASCAP and LAMCO/ACEMLA filed motions for partial summary judgment. The district court granted ASCAP's motion, dismissing LAMCO/ACEMLA's infringement claims on all five songs.

Several music publishers (collectively referred to as "the Publishers") brought claims against LAMCO/ACEMLA, alleging that they owned or controlled copyrights to 468 songs that LAMCO/ACEMLA were infringing.⁴ The Publishers moved for summary judgment on their infringement claims. LAMCO/ACEMLA disputed the rights to 294 of the songs claimed by the Publishers and moved for summary judgment as to infringement of those copyrights. As to the remaining 174 songs, LAMCO/ACEMLA acknowledged that they had been included in an ACEMLA catalog in error but denied infringement. In response to the motions, the district court summarized the bases of the parties' claims of ownership and the applicable law but reserved judgment on infringement pending review of the ownership issues by a special master.

On March 31, 2003, noting that "the present copyright cases are complicated and extremely fact intensive," the district court appointed a special master to examine the documentation pertaining to the chains of title as to all of the songs at issue in the consolidated cases. The district court directed the special master to make recommendations as to issues of authorship, ownership, and compliance with statutory requirements, whether the copyrights for the songs at issue had been infringed, and if so, by whom, and a recommendation on LAMCO/ACEMLA's allegations of missing royalty payments. The special master's compensation was set at an hourly rate of $565. The district court ordered the Publishers to pay half of the fees and costs and LAMCO/ACEMLA to pay the other half and ordered each group to file a bond with the court in the amount of $37,500, within ten days following entry of the order.

During the course of the litigation, LAMCO/ACEMLA repeatedly failed to meet court-ordered deadlines and obligations, including posting the bond. On October 13, 2004, the district court issued an ultimatum, granting a final thirty-day extension of time for LAMCO/ACEMLA to post the bond and warning that failure to comply would result in sanctions which could include dismissal of their claims and affirmative defenses. Nearly nine months later, on August 2, 2005, the district court concluded that LAMCO/ACEMLA had failed to comply with its order and dismissed their claims, counterclaims, and affirmative defenses in all of the consolidated cases.

On May 10, 2004, the special master issued his report and recommendation. The district court approved and adopted the special master's report and recommendation, in part, with modifications as to the ownership of rights to certain songs, and ordered a hearing to resolve a question about notice and good faith with respect to ownership of rights in other songs. With respect to the songs for which the special master's report and recommendation was approved, the district court granted the Publishers' motion for summary judgment on copyright infringement against LAMCO/ACEMLA. The order also assessed damages in the amount of $313,500 and allowed the Publishers to file an application for reasonable attorneys' fees and costs.

Following a hearing on ownership issues for the songs that were not resolved by the special master's report and recommendation, the district court determined that the Publishers also owned the copyrights to those songs. The court granted the Publishers' motion for summary judgment as to their infringement claims on those songs and awarded damages in the amount of $29,250. The court also granted the Publishers' motion for a permanent injunction against future infringement by LAMCO/ACEMLA and resolved other issues that were then pending. Based on those determinations, the district court entered judgment as to the claims and counterclaims in the consolidated cases. LAMCO/ACEMLA appealed.

II.

On appeal, LAMCO/ACEMLA challenge the district court's decisions holding that LAMCO/ACEMLA did not own copyrights in five songs claimed by ASCAP-member publishers, apportioning fifty percent of the special master's fees to LAMCO/ACEMLA, sanctioning them for failing to post a bond as ordered, concluding that they lacked standing to seek rescission of copyright assignments, and holding that authorizing use of songs constitutes copyright infringement. ASCAP and the Publishers oppose LAMCO/ACEMLA's arguments on appeal.

A. Summary Judgment on Five Songs

ASCAP sought partial summary judgment on LAMCO/ACEMLA's infringement claims against the Broadcasters as to five songs, asking that those five claims be dismissed.⁵ LAMCO/ACEMLA sought partial summary judgment that they held the performing rights licenses to the same five songs. The disputed five songs are: "Caballo Viejo" by Simón Díaz, "Patacón Pisa'o" by Ramon A. Chaverra, "Ojos Chinos" by Rogelio "Kito" Vélez, and "Te Sigo Quieriendo" and "Una Tercera Persona" by Luz C. Tirado.

The district court concluded that as to four of the songs, "Caballo Viejo," "Patacón Pisa'o," "Te Sigo Quieriendo," and "Una Tercera Persona," ASCAP members held the copyrights, which precluded LAMCO/ACEMLA's infringement claims arising from those songs. With respect to the fifth song, "Ojos Chinos," the district court determined that LAMCO/ACEMLA had a non-exclusive license, which might entitle them to receive payments from the Broadcasters but did not support standing to maintain a copyright infringement claim. The court also held that although LAMCO/ACEMLA recorded their agreement with the composer's heirs to a non-exclusive license for all performing rights to "Ojos Chinos," the recording did not comply with the requirements of 17 U.S.C. § 205(c) and, therefore, did not provide constructive notice of the license. Based on those conclusions, the court dismissed LAMCO/ACEMLA's infringement claims based on the five disputed songs. LAMCO/ACEMLA appeal that decision.

We review a district court's summary judgment decision de novo, using the same standard that governed below. Ruiz-Rosa v. Rullan, 485 F.3d 150, 155 (1st Cir.2007). Summary judgment is appropriate when the facts properly supported by the record and taken in the light most favorable to the non-moving party "show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). Cross motions for summary judgment do not change the standard. Specialty Nat'l Ins. Co. v. One-Beacon Ins. Co., 486 F.3d 727, 732 (1st Cir.2007). To prevail on a copyright infringement claim, "two elements must be proven: (1) ownership of a valid copyright, and (2) copying of constituent elements of the work that are original." T-Peg, Inc. v. Vt. Timber Works, Inc., 459 F.3d 97, 108 (1st Cir.2006) (internal quotation...