throbber
Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 1 of 16
`
` UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
`
`1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS
`FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATION RE:
`PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR DEFAULT
`JUDGMENT (DOCS. 17, 23)
`
`WARNER BROS. RECORDS INC., a )
`Delaware corporation, et al., )
`)
`Plaintiffs,
`)
`
`v.
`VANESSA MALACARA,
`Defendant. )
`)
` )
`
`))
`
`))
`
`Plaintiffs are proceeding with a civil action in this Court.
`The matter has been referred to the Magistrate Judge pursuant to
`28 U.S.C. § 636(b) and Local Rules 72-302(c)(19) and 72-303.
`Pending before the Court is Plaintiffs’ motion for a default
`judgment against Defendant Vanessa Malacara, filed on November
`20, 2006, and re-noticed as an amended motion on December 7,
`2006, including a notice of motion and motion, a declaration of
`Thomas Kerr with attachments, and a proposed order. By separate
`order the Court has vacated the hearing on the motion and has
`deemed the matter submitted to the Court for decision.
`I. Legal Standards on a Motion for Default Judgment
`A court has the discretion to enter a default judgment
`against one who is not an infant, incompetent, or member of the
`
`1
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 2 of 16
`
`armed services where the claim is for an amount that is not
`certain on the face of the claim and where 1) the defendant has
`been served with the claim; 2) the defendant’s default has been
`entered for failure to appear; 3) if the defendant has appeared
`in the action, the defendant has been served with written notice
`of the application for judgment at least three days before the
`hearing on the application; and 4) the court has undertaken any
`necessary and proper investigation or hearing in order to enter
`judgment or carry it into effect. Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(b); Alan
`Neuman Productions, Inc. v. Albright, 862 F.2d 1388, 1392 (9th
`Cir. 1988). Factors that may be considered by courts in
`exercising discretion as to the entry of a default judgment
`include the nature and extent of the delay, Draper v. Coombs, 792
`F.2d 915, 924-925 (9 Cir. 1986); the possibility of prejudice to
`th
`the plaintiff, Eitel v. McCool, 782 F.2d 1470, 1471-72 (9th
`Cir.1986); the merits of plaintiff's substantive claim, id.; the
`sufficiency of the allegations in the complaint to support
`judgment, Alan Neuman Productions, Inc., 862 F.2d at 1392; the
`amount in controversy, Eitel v. McCool, 782 F.2d at 1471-1472;
`the possibility of a dispute concerning material facts, id.;
`whether the default was due to excusable neglect, id.; and the
`strong policy underlying the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
`that favors decisions on the merits, id.
` A default judgment generally bars the defaulting party from
`disputing the facts alleged in the complaint, but the defaulting
`party may argue that the facts as alleged do not state a claim.
`Alan Neuman Productions, Inc. v. Albright, 862 F.2d 1388, 1392.
`Thus, well pleaded factual allegations, except as to damages, are
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`2
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 3 of 16
`
`taken as true; however, necessary facts not contained in the
`pleadings, and claims which are legally insufficient, are not
`established by default. Cripps v. Life Ins. Co. of North America,
`980 F.2d 1261, 1267 (9 Cir. 1992); TeleVideo Systems, Inc. av.
`th
`Heidenthal, 826 F.2d 915, 917 (9 Cir. 1987).
`th
`II. Service, Entry of Default, Notice, and Status of
` Defendant
`The declaration of Thomas Kerr establishes that after
`Defendant was identified, Plaintiffs’ counsel sent Defendant a
`letter advising her that copyright infringement had been detected
`and providing contact information for her to use to communicate
`with Plaintiffs’ representatives to resolve the matter without
`litigation; Plaintiffs’ settlement representatives were unable to
`resolve the matter. (Decl. ¶ 8-9.) The sworn proof of service
`filed on June 20, 2006, reflects that on June 9, 2006, the
`summons and complaint were served on Defendant Vanessa Malacara
`by a registered process server’s leaving the summons, complaint,
`and related documents with an adult member of the household at
`the dwelling house or usual place of abode of Plaintiff. (Doc.
`9.) This service is sufficient under Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(e)(2).
`After Plaintiff failed to respond to the complaint, Plaintiffs
`sent a letter to Defendant informing her that she was in default
`and that if she failed to answer, a judgment for damages and an
`injunction would be entered. Defendant did not respond to the
`letter. (Decl. of Kerr, Ex. 3, ¶ 12.)
`Defendant failed to respond to the complaint, and pursuant
`to Plaintiffs’ request, the Clerk entered default as to Defendant
`on September 5, 2006 (Doc. 13.) Plaintiffs served the clerk’s
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`3
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 4 of 16
`
`certificate of default on Defendant by mail on the same date.
`(Doc. 14.) Plaintiffs also filed proof of having served Defendant
`by mail with the notice and motion for default judgment on
`November 20, 2006, and with the amended notice of hearing and
`motion on December 7, 2006. (Docs. 21, 23.)
`Further, the notice was adequate pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P.
`55(d) and 54(c), which require that a judgment by default shall
`not be different in kind from or exceed in amount that prayed for
`in the demand for judgment. Plaintiff expressly sought in the
`complaint the types of relief sought by the instant application
`for default judgment, including injunctive relief, actual or
`statutory damages at the election of Plaintiff, and costs.
`(Compl. at pp. 4-5.) The failure to allege a specific sum in the
`complaint does not prevent entry of a default judgment for a
`certain sum or a sum that can be made certain where appropriate
`notice has otherwise been given. See Appleton Elec. Co. v. Graves
`Truck Line, 635 F.2d 603, 611 (7 Cir. 1980).
`th
`Thus, the Court finds that Plaintiff gave adequate notice of
`the nature and amount of its claim.
`Finally, in the declaration, Kerr states that he is informed
`and believes that Defendant is neither a minor nor an incompetent
`person; further, a search for Defendant’s name conducted in the
`United States Military Locator database of LexisNexis revealed no
`evidence that Defendant is in the military service. (Decl. ¶ 15.)
`Thus, it appears that with respect to notice and status, a
`default judgment would be appropriate with respect to Defendant
`Vanessa Malacara.
`///
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`4
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 5 of 16
`
`III. Legal Sufficiency of the Complaint
`An infringer of copyright is liable for actual damages and
`any additional profits of the infringer attributable to the
`infringement. 17 U.S.C. § 504(a). An infringer is anyone who
`violates any of the exclusive rights of the copyright owner as
`provided by sections 106 through 118. 17 U.S.C. § 501(a).
`Copyright protection subsists in original works of authorship,
`including pictorial and graphic works and sound recordings. 17
`U.S.C. § 102. The owner of a copyright has the exclusive rights
`to perform or authorize the reproduction of the copyrighted work
`in copies, prepare derivative works based on the copyrighted
`work, distribute copies to the public by sale or other transfer
`of ownership, and display the copyrighted work publicly. 17
`U.S.C. § 106.
`Thus, to prevail on a claim for infringement of copyright
`under 17 U.S.C. § 501, Plaintiffs must establish that Defendant
`violated an exclusive right of the copyright owner as provided in
`17 U.S.C. §§ 106, 501(a). Elektra Entertainment Group Inc. v.
`Crawford, 226 F.R.D. 388, 392-93 (C.D.Cal. 2005). This means that
`to establish a prima facie case of direct infringement,
`Plaintiffs must show 1) ownership of the allegedly infringed
`material, and 2) the infringer’s violation of at least one
`exclusive right granted to copyright holders under 17 U.S.C. §
`106. Marder v. Lopez, 450 F.3d 445, 453 (9 Cir. 2006).
`th
`Here, Plaintiffs alleged that Plaintiffs owned the
`copyrights or were the licensees of exclusive rights under the
`United States copyright law with respect to various sound
`recordings, including but not limited to seven specific sound
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`5
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 6 of 16
`
`recordings, entitled Taking You Home, Forever Your Girl, Blowing
`Kisses in the Wind, Santeria, Breakdown, I Have Nothing, and
`Nobody Else; each sound recording was the subject of a valid
`certificate of copyright registration issued by the Register of
`Copyrights; Plaintiffs owned the exclusive rights under copyright
`law in the United States to reproduce and distribute the
`copyrighted recordings. (Cmplt. pp. 2-3, Exs. A, B.) Plaintiffs
`also alleged that each of the specific copyrighted sound
`recordings in question contained a copyright notice on the album
`cover; published copies advised the viewer that it was protected
`by copyright laws. (Cmplt. p. 3.) Plaintiffs then alleged that
`without Plaintiffs’ permission or consent, Defendant used and
`continues to use an online media distribution system to download
`the recordings, distribute them to the public, and make them
`available for distribution to others in violation of Plaintiffs’
`exclusive rights of reproduction and distribution; Defendant
`thereby infringed Plaintiffs’ exclusive rights. (Cmplt. p. 3.)
`Plaintiff further alleges expressly that the acts of infringement
`were willful, intentional, and with disregard and indifference
`for Plaintiffs’ rights. (Id.)
`Accordingly, Plaintiffs have adequately stated claims for
`copyright infringement.
`IV. Discretionary Considerations
`Here, it does not appear that there is any risk of mistake
`or excusable neglect on the part of anyone with a potential
`interest in the subject matter of the instant action. Further,
`there is no apparent likelihood of a dispute as to a material
`fact essential to the Plaintiffs’ case. No just cause for delay
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`6
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 7 of 16
`
`appears. It is apparent from the declaration submitted to the
`Court that Defendant is not an infant, incompetent, or member of
`the armed services. There does not appear to be any reason why
`the general policy in favor of a decision on the merits would
`warrant refusing to enter the requested default judgment.
`Accordingly, the Court finds that Plaintiffs have shown
`their entitlement to a default judgment.
`V. Damages
`Plaintiffs request statutory damages in the amount of
`$5,250.00, consisting of the minimum statutory amount of $750.00
`for each of the seven specific sound recordings infringed.
`Title 17 U.S.C. § 504 provides in pertinent part:
`(a) In General. Except as otherwise provided by
`this title, an infringer of copyright is liable
`for either--
`(1) the copyright owner’s actual damages
`and any additional profits of the infringer,
`as provided by subsection (b); or
`(2) statutory damages, as provided by
`subsection (c).
`....
`(c) Statutory Damages.--
`(1) Except as provided by clause (2) of this
`subsection, the copyright owner may elect, at
`any time before final judgment is rendered,
`to recover, instead of actual damages and
`profits, an award of statutory damages for
`all infringements involved in the action,
`with respect to any one work, for which any
`one infringer is liable individually, or for
`which any two or more infringers are liable
`jointly and severally, in a sum of not less
`than $750 or more than $30,000 as the court
`considers just. For the purposes of this
`subsection, all the parts of a compilation or
`derivative work constitute one work.
`(2) In a case where the copyright owner
`sustains the burden of proving, and the court
`finds, that infringement was committed
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`7
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 8 of 16
`
`willfully, the court in its discretion may
`increase the award of statutory damages to a
`sum of not more than $150,000. In a case
`where the infringer sustains the burden of
`proving, and the court finds, that such
`infringer was not aware and had no reason to
`believe that his or her acts constituted an
`infringement of copyright, the court in its
`discretion may reduce the award of statutory
`damages to a sum of not less than $200. The
`court shall remit statutory damages in any
`case where an infringer believed and had
`reasonable grounds for believing that his or
`her use of the copyrighted work was a fair
`use under section 107, if the infringer was:
`(i) an employee or agent of a nonprofit
`educational institution, library, or archives
`acting within the scope of his or her
`employment who, or such institution, library,
`or archives itself, which infringed by
`reproducing the work in copies or
`phonorecords; or (ii) a public broadcasting
` entity which or a person who, as a regular
` part of the nonprofit activities of a public
` broadcasting entity (as defined in subsection (g)
` of section 118) infringed by performing a published
` nondramatic literary work or by reproducing a
` transmission program embodying a performance of
` such a work. (Emphasis added.)
`A district court has wide discretion in determining the amount of
`statutory damages to be awarded and should consider what is just
`in the particular case in light of the nature of the copyright,
`the circumstances of the infringement, and so forth. Los Angeles
`News Service v. Reuters Television International, Ltd., 149 F.3d
`987, 996 (9 Cir. 1998). The statutory damages serve both
`th
`compensatory and punitive purposes, so in order to effectuate the
`statutory policy of discouraging infringement, recovery of
`statutory damages is permitted even absent evidence of the actual
`damages suffered by a plaintiff or of the profits reaped by a
`defendant. Id.
`Here, Plaintiffs have established that seven different sound
`recordings were infringed; on May 25, 2005, Plaintiffs’
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`8
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 9 of 16
`
`investigators discovered that Defendant was using an online media
`distribution system over a peer-to-peer file-sharing network, had
`752 music files on the computer, and was offering them to people;
`and MediaSentry downloaded a number of the works and verified
`that they were, indeed, Plaintiffs’ copyrighted recordings. (Kerr
`Decl. pp. 1-2.) Hundreds more sound recordings were in the
`“share” folder. (Cmplt. p. 2, Ex. B.) Combined with the copyright
`notices included in each of the albums, this establishes the
`wilfulness of the violations.
`The Court further considers the fact that the copyright
`relates to a sound recording and that Plaintiff failed to respond
`to the complaint or otherwise participate in discovery and
`thereby prevented discovery of the full extent of injury to
`Plaintiffs.
`Considering all of the pertinent circumstances as
`demonstrated by the declaration and attachments submitted by
`Plaintiffs, and in order to effectuate the purposes of the
`statute, the Court concludes that the minimum amount of
`$5,250.00 in damages for the multiple infringements is just and
`reasonable.
`VI. Injunctive Relief
`Plaintiffs pray for injunctive relief enjoining Defendant
`from directly or indirectly infringing Plaintiffs’ rights under
`federal or state law in the copyrighted recordings and any sound
`recording, whether now in existence or later created, that is
`owned or controlled by Plaintiffs (or any parent, subsidiary, or
`affiliate record label of Plaintiffs) (“Plaintiffs’ Recordings”),
`including without limitation by using the Internet or any online
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`9
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 10 of 16
`
`media distribution system to reproduce (i.e., download) any of
`Plaintiff’s Recordings, to distribute (i.e., upload) any of
`Plaintiffs’ Recordings, or to make any of Plaintiff’s Recordings
`available for distribution to the public, except pursuant to a
`lawful license or with the express authority of Plaintiffs.
`Plaintiffs also seek to require Defendant to destroy all copies
`of Plaintiffs’ Recordings that Defendant has downloaded onto any
`computer hard drive or server without Plaintiffs’ authorization
`and shall destroy all copies of those downloaded recording
`transferred onto any physical medium or device in Defendant’s
`possession, custody, or control. (Cmplt. p. 4.)
`Title 17 U.S.C. § 502 states:
`(a) Any court having jurisdiction of a civil
`action arising under this title may, subject to the
`provisions of section 1498 of title 28, grant temporary
`and final injunctions on such terms as it may deem
`reasonable to prevent or restrain infringement of a
`copyright.
`(b) Any such injunction may be served anywhere in
`the United States on the person enjoined; it shall be
`operative throughout the United States and shall be
`enforceable, by proceedings in contempt or otherwise,
`by any United States court having jurisdiction of that
`person. The clerk of the court granting the injunction
`shall, when requested by any other court in which
`enforcement of the injunction is sought, transmit
`promptly to the other court a certified copy of all the
`papers in the case on file in such clerk's office
`(emphasis added).
`As a general rule, absent a great public injury, a permanent
`injunction will be granted when liability has been established
`and there is a threat of a continuing violations. Cadence Design
`Systems, Inc. v. Avant! Corp., 125 F.3d 824, 829 (9 Cir. 1997);
`th
`MAI Systems Corp. v. Peak Computer, Inc., 991 F.2d 511, 520 (9th
`Cir. 1993) (issuing an injunction against further infringement of
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`10
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 11 of 16
`
`protected software rights where the plaintiff demonstrated that
`the defendant had computers in its loaner inventory with the
`protected software on it). Generally a party seeking a
`preliminary injunction must show either a likelihood of success
`on the merits and the possibility of irreparable injury, or that
`serious questions going to the merits were raised and the balance
`of hardships tips sharply in its favor; however, because in a
`copyright infringement claim a showing of a reasonable likelihood
`of success on the merits raises a presumption of irreparable
`harm, a plaintiff need only show a likelihood of success on the
`merits to obtain a preliminary injunction. Micro Star v. Formgen,
`Inc., 154 F.3d 1107, 1109 (9 Cir. 1998). Here, Plaintiffs seek a
`th
`permanent injunction. They have already shown actual success on
`the merits because their complaint states a claim for
`infringement, and Defendant has defaulted; further, Plaintiffs
`have alleged that unless restrained, Defendant will continue to
`cause irreparable injury for which there is no full monetary
`compensation. (Cmplt. pp. 4-5.) This is sufficient for a
`permanent injunction. Sony Music Entertaniment, Inc. v. Global
`Arts Productions, 45 F.Supp.2d 1345, 1347 (S.D.Fla. 1999). An
`injunction against further infringement and even infringement of
`future works is permitted, and it is appropriate to grant an
`injunction on an application for default judgment. Princeton
`University Press v. Michigan Document Services, Inc., 99 F.3d
`1381, 1392-93 (6 Cir. 1996) (noting that an injunction of works
`th
`copyrighted in the future is supported by the weight of
`authority); Elektra Entertainment Group Inc. v. Crawford, 226
`F.RD. 388, 393-94 (C.D.Cal. 2005) (granting a final injunction on
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`11
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 12 of 16
`
`default judgment to enjoin defendant from directly or indirectly
`infringing plaintiffs' rights under federal or state law in
`copyrighted recordings, whether then in existence or later
`created, where requested terms of injunction were the same as
`those prayed for in complaint, proposed injunctive relief was
`appropriate, the plaintiffs sent two letters to defendant before
`plaintiffs sought entry of default which warned of default
`judgment, defendant failed to respond to serious claims brought
`against him despite receiving adequate notice, and failure to
`grant injunction would have resulted in plaintiffs' continued
`exposure to harm with no method of recourse). If infringement is
`established, then it is appropriate as part of a final judgment
`to order the destruction or other reasonable disposition of all
`copies or phonorecords found to have been made or used in
`violation of the copyright owner’s exclusive rights and of all
`other articles by means of which such copies might be reproduced.
`17 U.S.C. § 503(b).
`Here, Plaintiffs alleged that Defendant infringed and
`wilfully continues to use the on-line distribution system to
`distribute to the public the obviously copyrighted sound
`recordings and thereby is causing irreparable injury that cannot
`be measured or compensated in money. Further, it is alleged that
`Plaintiffs have no adequate remedy at law. (Cmplt. ¶¶ 14, 18.)
`The requested terms of the injunction are the same as those
`prayed for in the complaint. Defendant’s lack of intent to comply
`with the copyright restrictions is demonstrated by the
`Defendant’s failure to reply to the letter that Plaintiffs sent
`to the Defendant which warned of enforcement of a default
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`12
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 13 of 16
`
`judgment, and by Defendant’s further failure to respond to
`serious claims brought against her despite receiving adequate
`notice. It appears that the failure to grant the requested
`injunction would result in Plaintiffs' continued exposure to harm
`with no method of recourse. There does not appear to be any
`public injury that would result from issuance of the injunction.
`Accordingly, the Court concludes that injunctive relief is
`appropriate.
`However, the injunctive relief sought is too broad.
`Generally an injunction must be narrowly tailored to remedy only
`the specific harms shown by the plaintiffs rather than to enjoin
`all possible breaches of the law; injunctive relief concerning a
`copyright will be limited to works that infringe on the
`Plaintiffs’ copyright. Iconix, Inc. v. Tokuda, 457 F.Supp.2d 969,
`998-1002 (N.D.Cal.2006) (preliminary injunction in copyright
`case). Further, it is established that every order granting an
`injunction shall set forth the reasons for its issuance; shall be
`specific in its terms; shall describe in reasonable detail, and
`not by reference to the complaint or other document, the act or
`acts sought to be restrained; and is binding only upon the
`parties to the action, their officers, agents, servants,
`employees, and attorneys, and upon those persons in active
`concert or participation with them who receive actual notice of
`the order by personal service or otherwise. Fed. R. Civ. P.
`65(d). Even without objections by a party, a court has an
`independent duty to assure that an injunction is specific in its
`terms and describes in reasonable detail the acts sought to be
`restrained. See, EFS Marketing, Inc. v Russ Berrie & Co., 76 F.3d
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`13
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 14 of 16
`
`487, 493-94 (2 Cir. 1996); 4 Nimmer on Copyright, § 14.06(C)
`nd
`(2006).
`Here, the injunction purports to forbid infringing
`Plaintiffs’ rights under “federal or state law” in the
`copyrighted recordings. However, the sole subject of the
`complaint and this action is infringement of rights created by
`the Copyright Act, not any other federal or state law.
`Further, the injunction sought would enjoin infringement not
`only of copyrighted sound recordings, but also of any sound
`recording owned or controlled by Plaintiffs; thus, it would
`include recordings that are not copyrighted. This exceeds the
`scope of the infringement, which was limited to copyrighted
`works.
`Likewise, the proposed injunction would cover infringement
`not only of recordings copyrighted by Plaintiffs, but also those
`owned or controlled by any parent, subsidiary, or affiliate
`record label of Plaintiffs. Such a provision does not give
`reasonable notice of what conduct would be included within the
`scope of the injunction because a reasonable person would not
`know what entities or operations constitute parents,
`subsidiaries, or affiliate record labels of Plaintiffs. This
`aspect of the injunction would be unclear and also would exceed
`the scope of the infringement.
`Accordingly, these aspects should be eliminated from the
`injunctive relief sought.
`
`VII. Costs
`Plaintiffs seek $420.00 in costs.
`Title 17 U.S.C. § 505 states:
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`14
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 15 of 16
`
`In any civil action under this title, the court
`in its discretion may allow the recovery of full
`costs by or against any party other than the
`United States or an officer thereof. Except as
`otherwise provided by this title, the court may
`also award a reasonable attorney's fee to the
`prevailing party as part of the costs.
`The costs sought here consist of $350.00 for the filing fee, and
`$70.00 for service of process. (Decl. of Kerr ¶ 16.)
`Plaintiffs are entitled to costs of $420.00.
`VII. Recommendation
`Accordingly, it IS RECOMMENDED that
`1) Plaintiffs’ motion for default judgment against Defendant
`Vanessa Malacara BE GRANTED; and
`2) The Clerk BE DIRECTED to enter judgment in favor of
`Plaintiffs and against Defendant Vanessa Malacara in the amount
`of $5,250.00 of statutory damages, and $420.00 in costs; and
`3) The Clerk BE DIRECTED to enter judgment in favor of
`Plaintiffs and against Defendant Vanessa Malacara enjoining
`Defendant from directly or indirectly infringing Plaintiffs’
`rights in the copyrighted sound recordings and any copyrighted
`sound recording, whether now in existence or later created, which
`is owned or controlled by Plaintiffs (“Plaintiffs’ recordings”),
`including without limitation by using the Internet or any online
`media distribution system to reproduce (i.e., download) any of
`Plaintiffs’ recordings, to distribute (i.e., upload) any of
`Plaintiffs’ recordings, or to make any of Plaintiff’s recordings
`available for distribution to the public, except pursuant to a
`lawful license or with the express authority of Plaintiffs;
`Defendant also shall destroy all copies of Plaintiffs’ recordings
`that Defendant has downloaded onto any computer hard drive or
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`15
`
`

`
`Case 1:06-cv-00630-OWW-SMS Document 25 Filed 02/27/07 Page 16 of 16
`
`server without Plaintiffs’ authorization and shall destroy all
`copies of those downloaded recordings transferred onto any
`physical medium or device in Defendant’s possession, custody, or
`control.
`This report and recommendation is submitted to the United
`States District Court Judge assigned to the case, pursuant to the
`provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636 (b)(1)(B) and Rule 72-304 of the
`Local Rules of Practice for the United States District Court,
`Eastern District of California. Within thirty (30) days after
`being served with a copy, any party may file written objections
`with the Court and serve a copy on all parties. Such a document
`should be captioned “Objections to Magistrate Judge’s Findings
`and Recommendations.” Replies to the objections shall be served
`and filed within ten (10) court days (plus three days if served
`by mail) after service of the objections. The Court will then
`review the Magistrate Judge’s ruling pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636
`(b)(1)(C). The parties are advised that failure to file
`objections within the specified time may waive the right to
`appeal the District Court’s order. Martinez v. Ylst, 951 F.2d
`1153 (9th Cir. 1991).
`IT IS SO ORDERED.
`Dated: February 26, 2007
`icido3
`
` /s/ Sandra M. Snyder
`UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`
`11
`
`12
`
`13
`
`14
`
`15
`
`16
`
`17
`
`18
`
`19
`
`20
`
`21
`
`22
`
`23
`
`24
`
`25
`
`26
`
`27
`
`28
`
`16

This document is available on Docket Alarm but you must sign up to view it.


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

After purchase, you can access this document again without charge.

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

This document is taking longer than usual to download. This can happen if we need to contact the court directly to obtain the document and their servers are running slowly.

Give it another minute or two to complete, and then try the refresh button.

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

It can take up to 5 minutes for us to download a document if the court servers are running slowly.

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

We could not find this document within its docket. Please go back to the docket page and check the link. If that does not work, go back to the docket and refresh it to pull the newest information.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

You need a Paid Account to view this document. Click here to change your account type.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

With a Docket Alarm membership, you'll get a whole lot more, including:

  • Up-to-date information for this case.
  • Email alerts whenever there is an update.
  • Full text search for other cases.
  • Get email alerts whenever a new case matches your search.

Become a Member

One Moment Please

The filing “” is large (MB) and is being downloaded.

Please refresh this page in a few minutes to see if the filing has been downloaded. The filing will also be emailed to you when the download completes.

Your document is on its way!

If you do not receive the document in five minutes, contact support at support@docketalarm.com.

Sealed Document

We are unable to display this document, it may be under a court ordered seal.

If you have proper credentials to access the file, you may proceed directly to the court's system using your government issued username and password.


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket