Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Entertainment Law & FinanceFeaturesCopyrightsEntertainment and Sports LawLitigation

Litigation Over Skater Girl Film Transferred to CA

By Cedra Mayfield
November 01, 2021

When Atlanta filmmaker-turned-plaintiff Raymond Pirtle Jr. filed a copyright infringement suit against California-based Netflix Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, he opted to represent himself. But that pitted him against seasoned attorneys, representing a corporate giant in a case that has both sides claiming early incremental victories. Pirtle v. Netflix Inc., 1:2021cv02096.

Pirtle's complaint alleged the Netflix film Skater Girl infringed on his independent film, Sk8r Grrl. But his case has been tossed out of the Peach State, thanks to a technicality his legal adversaries said they anticipated as part of an ongoing trend. "It's a classic case of civil procedure," said Jonathan Goins, Atlanta partner and co-chair of Lewis Brisbois' intellectual property and technology group. "It follows a trend of where a lot of cases are going when it comes to suing a corporate entity. You have to sue an entity either where they're incorporated or where they have a principal place of business. That speaks to general personal jurisdiction."

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs Image

The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.

Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations Image

This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

Compliance Officers: Recent Regulatory Guidance and Enforcement Actions and Mitigating the Risk of Personal Liability Image

This article explores legal developments over the past year that may impact compliance officer personal liability.