Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_06-cv-03025/USCOURTS-cand-3_06-cv-03025-3/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Alkaraween Islamic Bookstore
Defendant
Timbuktu Educational Foundation
Plaintiff

Document Text:

United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

TIMBUKTU EDUCATIONAL

FOUNDATION,

Plaintiff,

v.

ALKARAWEEN ISLAMIC BOOKSTORE,

Defendant.

___________________________________/

No. C-06-3025 JSW (EMC)

ORDER RE SUPPLEMENTAL

BRIEFING AND EVIDENCE

Plaintiff Timbuktu Educational Foundation (“Timbuktu”) filed suit against Defendant

Alkaraween Islamic Bookstore, alleging infringement of Timbuktu’s copyrighted DVD entitled

“Timbuktu: The Untold Story.” After Alkaraween failed to respond to Timbuktu’s complaint,

default was entered on October 13, 2006. Thereafter, Timbuktu moved for default judgment and

asked that the Court award $30,000 in statutory damages pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(1). 

Timbuktu’s motion was assigned to the undersigned for a report and recommendation. 

The Court has reviewed Timbuktu’s motion and supporting papers. In a motion for default

judgment, factual allegations of the plaintiff’s complaint are generally accepted as true, except for

those related to the amount of damages. See TeleVideo Systems, Inc. v. Heidenthal, 826 F.2d 915,

917 (9th Cir. 1987). The plaintiff has the burden of proving damages. See Board of Trustees of Pipe

Trades Dist. Council No. 36 v. Drexal Power, Inc., No. C 04-0630 BZ, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS

15657, at *5-6 (N.D. Cal. July 26, 2004). 

Under 17 U.S.C. § 504(a), an infringer of a copyright is liable to the copyright owner for

either (1) the copyright owner’s actual damages, plus any additional profits of the infringer, or (2)

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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statutory damages. See 17 U.S.C. § 504(a). “A [copyright owner] may elect statutory damages

regardless of the adequacy of the evidence offered as to [its] actual damages or the amount of the

[infringer’s] profits.” Jackson v. Sturkie, 255 F. Supp. 2d 1096, 1101 (N.D. Cal. 2003). If the

copyright owner elects statutory damages, then a court has wide discretion to determine the proper

amount of damages to award within the range of $750 to $30,000. See 17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(1). 

In the instant case, Timbuktu asks for the maximum statutory damages award under §

504(c)(1) – i.e., $30,000. Timbuktu does not explain nor provide any evidence supporting its claim

for $30,000, except to state that Alkaraween “sold numerous copies of [Timbuktu’s copyrighted]

work in violation of [its] copyright.” Ridgell Dec. ¶ 7. The Court therefore orders Timbuktu to

provide supplemental briefing and/or evidence to justify why an award at the highest end of the

range is appropriate. Timbuktu should not only identify how many “numerous copies” of the

copyrighted work were actually sold but also take into account the factors that courts typically

consider in determining what is an appropriate statutory damages award for copyright infringement. 

See, e.g., Chi-Boy Music v. Charlie Club, Inc., 930 F.2d 1224, 1229 (7th Cir. 1991) (“[D]istrict

courts enjoy wide discretion in awarding fees and may consider various factors such as ‘the

difficulty or impossibility of proving actual damages, the circumstances of the infringement, and the

efficacy of the damages as a deterrent to future copyright infringement.”); Columbia Pictures Indus.

v. T&F Enters., 68 F. Supp. 2d 833, 840 (E.D. Mich. 1999) (noting that courts consider various

factors in determining the appropriate amount of statutory damages for copyright infringement,

including “(1) the expenses saved and profits reaped by the defendants in connection with the

infringements; (2) the revenues lost by the plaintiffs as a result of the defendants’ conduct; (3) the

infringers’ state of mind whether willful, knowing, or merely innocent; and (4) the goal of deterring

wrongful conduct”). Given the above factors, the following may be of assistance to the Court in

determining statutory damages: Timbuktu’s profits per DVD, copies sold annually, and the cost of

making the DVD. This list is not exhaustive, and Timbuktu should provide any other information it

deems relevant.

///

///

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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Timbuktu shall file and serve its supplemental briefing and/or evidence within one week of

the receipt of this order.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: January 30, 2007

_________________________ EDWARD M. CHEN

United States Magistrate Judge

Case 3:06-cv-03025-JSW Document 26 Filed 01/30/07 Page 3 of 3