The Romantics v. Activision Pub., Inc.
| Decision Date | 22 January 2008 |
| Docket Number | No. 07-14969.,07-14969. |
| Citation | 532 F.Supp.2d 884 |
| Parties | THE ROMANTICS a/k/a Master Beat, Inc.; Wally Palmar; Mike Skill; and Coz Canler, Plaintiff(s), v. ACTIVISION PUBLISHING, INC.; Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.; Redoctane, Inc.; and Wavegroup Sound, Defendant(s). |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Michigan |
William H. Horton, Elizabeth A. Favaro, Sean M. Walsh, Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton, P.C., Troy, MI, for Plaintiffs.
George R. Hedges, Jeffrey A. Conciatori, Jeffery D. McFarland, Jon Steiger, Quinn, Emanuel, Urquhart, Oliver & Hedges, LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Herschel P. Fink, Brian D. Wassom, Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn LLP, LLP, Detroit, MI, for Defendants.
On November 20, 2007, Plaintiffs filed a motion seeking a preliminary injunction enjoining Defendants, during the pendency of this action, from advertising, offering for sale, selling, distributing or otherwise making or selling the video game "Guitar Hero Encore: Rock's the 80s" (the "Game"), or otherwise using the identities, persona, or allegedly distinctive sound of Plaintiffs in connection with the Game. On December 18, 2007, the Court heard argument on Plaintiffs' motion.
Having given due consideration to the parties' written and oral arguments, the Court hereby DENIES the motion in its entirety,
The Game is a part of the "Guitar Hero" video game franchise which includes a series "of games, guitar shaped game controllers, accessories and merchandise under the "Guitar Hero" trademark. This franchise has been very successful, winning numerous accolades and becoming the top selling franchise for console video games as of September 2007.
The Game is a complex artistic work combining visual, audio and narrative elements for which Defendants spent months developing the unique theme and technology. The Game allows players to pretend they are playing guitar in a rock and roll band. Play begins as players choose among options such as character, costume, and model, of guitar, and then simulate the guitar play of various songs by correctly timing the pressing of fret buttons and strum bars on a guitar-like controller. The Game includes thirty songs from the 1980s to add to the realistic experience of playing in a rock band from that era. Each song in the Game has a level of difficulty, and only after reaching a certain proficiency on a song can a player advance to `another more difficult song. The graphic video elements of the Game require complex synchronization with each song to enable the realistic simulation of guitar play.
Defendant Activision Publishing, Inc. ("Activision"), the distributor of the Game and the parent of Defendant RedOctane, Inc., the publisher of the Game, obtained a valid nonexclusive synchronization license from EMI Entertainment World, Inc., the owner of the copyright in the musical composition entitled "What I Like About You" (written and originally recorded in 1979 by the band, The Romantics, and published in 1980) (the "Song"). A synch license, in the context of a video game, permits Defendants to make a new recording of the underlying composition and to use that recording in synchronization with visual images in the video game to enable game play. In accordance with this license, Defendant WaveGroup Sound ("WaveGroup") recorded a new version of the Song which was incorporated, or synchronized, into the Game. The Game was commercially released in July 2007:
While playing the Game, a player can encounter the Song or any reference to The Romantics only if the player obtains an advanced player status. Theoretically, a player could play the Game and never reach the advanced level of play necessary to encounter the Song among the thirty tracks included in the Game. Even when a player encounters the Song, it is part of the content in the Game, and is clearly identified by the; Song title and the words "as made famous by the Romantics," thus informing players and onlookers that The Romantics are not actually performing the Song. Defendants have never used the Song for the purpose of advertising or marketing the Game, and neither the name of Plaintiffs' band nor any of the names of the individual Plaintiffs appear on the product packaging.
Activision is one of the leading international publishers of interactive entertainment software products and has worked with numerous famous musicians to develop versions of the Game. Plaintiffs' proposed injunction would cause irreparable harm to the ongoing sales activities and reputation of Activision.
Plaintiffs Wally Palmer, Mike Skill, and Coz Canler are current members of the rock band The Romantics. The Romantics created the original master recording embodying the Song in 1979, which was released in 1980. Not all Plaintiffs participated in the master recording of the Song and the lead singer on the master recording of the Song is no longer with The Romantics, nor is he a party to this action. Plaintiffs do not allege that they currently own any rights in the Song.
The Song has appeared ubiquitously in popular culture for the past two decades, and is frequently used in commercials and films. Plaintiffs contend, but have proffered no evidence, that a substantial number of ordinarily prudent consumers of Defendants' Game have been, or are likely to be in the future, confused, deceived, or mistaken about whether the Plaintiffs sponsored or endorsed the Game.
Plaintiffs seek a preliminary injunction against Defendants to prevent the manufacture, distribution, sale, or marketing of the Game during the pendency of the civil action Plaintiffs filed against Defendants for the right of publicity, Lanham Act, unfair competition and unjust enrichment claims. Although Plaintiffs seek injunctive relief, Plaintiffs' counsel has publicly admitted that Plaintiffs want to receive money for the alleged harm caused to them by the use of the Song in the Game.
Plaintiffs are not entitled to a preliminary injunction under the Sixth Circuit's well-established four-factor test. Under this test, the following factors must be balanced: 1) whether Plaintiffs have shown a strong or substantial likelihood of success on the merits; 2) whether Plaintiffs have demonstrated irreparable injury; 3) whether the issuance of a preliminary injunction would cause substantial harm to others; and 4) whether the public interest is served by the issuance of an injunction. Capobianco v. Summers, 377 F.3d 559, 561 (6th Cir.2004). See also Mich. State AFLCIO v. Miller, 103 F.3d 1240, 1249 (6th Cir.1997); Charter Twp. of Van Buren v. Adamkus, 965 F.Supp. 959, 963 (E.D.Mich. 1997).
Plaintiffs have failed to meet their burden of satisfying each of the requirements necessary for the Court to grant a preliminary injunction for their claims alleging (1) violation of their right of publicity under Michigan law; (2) false endorsement in violation of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125; and (3) unfair competition under Michigan law. Plaintiffs' complaint also purports to set forth a count for unjust enrichment, but Plaintiffs have not sought injunctive relief under this count.
Plaintiffs have not made the requisite showing that there is a likelihood of success on the merits for their state law claim of a violation of the right of publicity. Under the circumstances of this case, this claim would be governed by Michigan law, However, Michigan has never recognized right of publicity in the sound of a voice, even if distinctive, nor has it recognized a right of publicity for a combination of voices, and thus Plaintiffs fail to state a cognizable claim for violation of the right of publicity. Moreover, as indicated above, not all of the Plaintiffs performed on the original master recording of the Song, and the lead featured singer on the original master recording of the Song is not even a Plaintiff. Accordingly, there be substantial issues concerning Plaintiffs' standing to assert such a claim even if one were to exist.
Moreover, the First Amendment protects commercial actors' use of a song in a work where such use is related to the content of the work and is not a disguised commercial-advertisement for the misleading sale of the commercial actors' goods or services. Parks v. LaFace Records, 329 F.3d 437, 461 (6th Cir.2003). Here, the Game is an expressive artistic work entitled to First Amendment protection because the Game contains significant transformative elements and is not likely to interfere with the economic interest protected by the right of publicity, even if such a right applies to a "distinctive sound" and if Plaintiffs had made a showing that their sound is unique or distinctive such that it has a specific value.
Also, the Copyright Act pre-empts Plaintiffs' purported state law right of publicity claim. A state law cause of action is preempted by the federal Copyright Act if (1) the work involved falls within the "subject matter" of the Copyright Act; and (2) the rights that a plaintiff asserts under state law are "rights that are equivalent" to those protected by the Copyright Act. Kodadek v. MTV Networks, Inc. 152 F.3d 1209, 1212 (9th Cir.1998). Here, Plaintiffs' "identity" claims to the sound of the Song are essentially claims, regarding the licensing of a copyrighted work, falling squarely within the "subject matter" of the Copyright, Act. Moreover, Plaintiffs' right of publicity claim, as pleaded, arises from Defendants' arrangement and production of musical and vocal performances that allegedly sound similar to those embodied and reflected in a copyrighted sound recording released by The Romantics in 1980, as distinct from the sound of any individual's voice or musical...
To continue reading
Request your trial
-
Brantley v. Epic Games, Inc.
...claim under the Lanham Act, the same principles applied to claims for false endorsement. See also Romantics v. Activision Publ'g, Inc. , 532 F. Supp. 2d 884, 889 (E.D. Mich. 2008) (false endorsement claim for use of song in video game barred by Dastar ); Lions Gate Entm't v. TD Ameritrade S......
-
Centra, Inc. v. Estrin
...In order to warrant injunctive relief, there must be a "substantial threat of impending injury." Romantics v. Activision Publishing, Inc., 532 F.Supp.2d 884, 890 (E.D.Mich.2008) (internal citations omitted). The alleged "potential harm `must be `actual and imminent,' and not merely remote o......
-
Miller v. Ohio Civil Rights Comm'n
... ... 17, ... 2021) (Marbley, J.) (citing Bunn Enterprises, Inc. v ... Ohio Operating Engineers Fringe Benefit Programs, No ... Romantics v. Activision Pub., Inc., 532 F.Supp.2d 884, ... 890 (E.D. Mich ... ...
-
Rose v. Delta Airlines, Inc.
...relief."). "The potential harm must be actual and imminent, and not merely remote or speculative." The Romantics v. Activision Pub., Inc., 532 F. Supp. 2d 884, 890 (E.D. Mich. 2008) ) (citations omitted) (no irreparable injury where Plaintiffs failed to show monetary damages would be insuff......