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NO. 11-2620UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALSFOR THE SEVENTH CIRCUITBROWNMARK FILMS, LLC,P
LAINTIFF
-A
PPELLANT
,
V
.COMEDY PARTNERS, MTV NETWORKS, PARAMOUNT PICTURESCORPORATION, SOUTH PARK DIGITAL STUDIOS, LLC, andVIACOM INTERNATIONAL INC.,D
EFENDANTS
-A
PPELLEES
.
On Appeal From The United States District CourtFor The Eastern District of Wisconsin, Case No. 10-cv-1013 JPSHonorable J.P. Stadtmueller, District Judge
BRIEF AMICUS CURIAE OF ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION IN SUPPORT OF APPELLEES AND AFFIRMANCE
Julie P. Samuels(ARDC# 6287282)Corynne McSherryMichael BarclayELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION454 Shotwell StreetSan Francisco, CA 94110Telephone: (415) 436-9333Facsimile: (415) 436-9993 julie@eff.org
Attorneys for Amicus Curiae
Case: 11-2620 Document: 18-2 Filed: 12/19/2011 Pages: 27
i
CIRCUIT RULE 26.1 DISCLOSURE
S
T
AT
E
MEN
T
Appellate
Court
No:
11-2620Short
Caption:
Brownmark Films, LLC v. Comedy Partners, et al.
To enable the judges to determine whether recusal is necessary or appropriate, an attorney for a non-governmental party or amicus curiae, or a private attorney representing a government party, must furnish a disclosure statement providing thefollowing information in compliance with Circuit Rule 26.1 and Fed. R. App. P. 26.1.The Court prefers that the disclosure statement be filed
immediately following
docketing; but, the disclosure statement must be filed within 21 days of
docketing
or
upon
the
filing
of a motion,
response, petition,
or answer in this court,
whichever
occursfirst. Attorneys are required to file an amended statement to reflect any material changes in the required information. The textof the statement must also be included in front of the table of contents of the party's main brief. Counsel is
required
t
o
complete the entire
statement
and to use N/A for any
information
that is not applicable if this form is
use
d.
[ ] PLEASE CHECK HERE IF ANY
INFORMATION
ON THIS FORM IS NEW OR
REVISED
AND INDICATE WHICH
INFORMATION
IS NEW OR
R
EV
ISE
D.
(1) The full name of every party that the attorney represents in the case (if the party is a corporation, you must provide thecorporate disclosure information required by Fed. R. App. P 26.1 by completing item #3):Amicus Curiae Electronic Frontier Foundation(2) The names of all law firms whose partners or associates have appeared for the party in the case (including proceedingsin the district court or before an administrative agency) or are expected to appear for the party in this court:Julie P. Samuels, Corynne McSherry and Michael Barclay(3) If the party or amicus is a corporation:i) Identify all its parent corporations, if any; and Noneii) list any publicly held company that owns 10% or more of the party’s or amicus’ stock: None
Attorney's Signature:
/s/ Julie P. Samuels
Date:
December 19, 2011
Attorney's Printed Name:
Julie P. Samuels
Please indicate if you are Counsel
of
Record for the above listed parties pursuant to Circuit Rule 3(d). Yes
X
NoAddress:
Electronic Frontier Foundation
454 Shotwell Street, San Francisco, California 94110
Phone Number:
(415) 493-9333 ext. 112
Fax Number:
(415) 436-9993
E-Mail Address:
Julie@eff.org
rev. 01/08 AK
Case: 11-2620 Document: 18-2 Filed: 12/19/2011 Pages: 27
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PageTABLE OF AUTHORITIES .............................................................................. ii
STATEMENT OF INTEREST ........................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT ................................. 2
ARGUMENT ...................................................................................................... 4
I.
The Ability to Dismiss a Case on Fair Use Grounds Supports theEssential Copyright Balance ..................................................................... 4
A.
Dismissing Obvious Fair Use Cases at the Pleading Stage HelpsDeter Abuses of the Copyright System ............................................ 4
1.
Righthaven LLC ...................................................................... 4
2.
Mass Copyright Litigation ....................................................... 7
B.
Early Dismissals Helps Protect Individual Fair Users ConfrontedWith Frivolous Lawsuits and Improper DMCA Takedowns ......... 10
C.
Early Dismissal Fosters Timely Political Speech ........................... 12
II.
Fair Use is an Essential Part of the Copyright Balance ............................. 16
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 19
Case: 11-2620 Document: 18-2 Filed: 12/19/2011 Pages: 27
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