No. 04-480
I
N
T
HE
Supreme Court of the United States
M
ETRO
-G
OLDWYN
-M
AYER
S
TUDIOS
I
NC
.,
ET AL
.,
Petitioners
,v.G
ROKSTER
, L
TD
.,
ET AL
.,
Respondents
.
On Writ of Certiorari to the United StatesCourt of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitBRIEF OF DEFENDERS OF PROPERTY RIGHTSAS
AMICUS CURIAE
IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS
N
ANCIE
G. M
ARZULLA
R
OGER
M
ARZULLA
D
EFENDERS OF
P
ROPERTY
R
IGHTS
1350 Connecticut Avenue, NWSuite 410Washington, DC 20036(202) 822-6770T
HEODORE
B. O
LSON
Counsel of Record
T
HOMAS
H. D
UPREE
, J
R
.M
ATTHEW
D. M
C
G
ILL
G
IBSON
, D
UNN
& C
RUTCHER LLP
1050 Connecticut Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20036(202) 955-8500
Counsel for Amicus Curiae
QUESTION PRESENTED
Is a company that deliberately designs a product for thespecific purpose of enabling massive infringements of copy-right by millions of people worldwide—and then encourages,facilitates and profits from the resulting infringement—immune from ordinary principles of secondary tort liability onthe theory that a small percentage of people happen to use itsproduct lawfully?
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTEREST OF
AMICUS CURIAE
..........................................1STATEMENT..........................................................................2SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT................................................4ARGUMENT...........................................................................6I. THE FRAMERS RECOGNIZED THAT“PROGRESS” IN THE CREATIVE ARTSDEPENDS ON PROTECTINGINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS.................6II. THE DOCTRINE OF CONTRIBUTORYCOPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS GUIDEDBY COMMON-LAW PRINCIPLES OFSECONDARY LIABILITY......................................7A. At Common Law, Secondary LiabilityAttached To Those Who Assisted OrEncouraged Wrongful Acts................................8B. Those Who Assist Or EncourageCopyright Infringement Can Be HeldLiable As Contributory Infringers......................9III. THE NINTH CIRCUIT’S APPROACHMISAPPLIES
SONY
AND DEPARTS FROMTHE COMMON-LAW UNDERSTANDINGOF CONTRIBUTORY INFRINGEMENT.............11A. Respondents’ Conduct In Designing,Marketing, And Supporting TheirNetworks Renders Them Liable ForAiding And Abetting CopyrightInfringement.....................................................12B. Respondents Are Contributorily LiableFor Distributing A Product That TheyKnow Is Overwhelmingly Used ForInfringement.....................................................13
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EFF: 050124 Defenders of Property
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