T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T V I N CEN T CU SA N O , i n d i v i du a l l y , D BA S tr e e tb e a t M u s ic , A K A V in n ie V in c e n t, D B A V i nn i e V i ncentM usi c,

P l ai nt i ff - A pp el l ee , v . GE NE KL E I N, a n i n d i v i du a l ; P AU L S T A N L E Y , an i nd i vi du al , bo rn S t anl ey E i se n; T H E K IS S C O M P A N Y , a N ew Yo rkC o rp o r a t i o n ; GE NE S I MM ON S W O R L D W ID E , IN C . , a D el aw ar e c o rp o r a tio n ; S I M S T A N M U S I C , L T D .,

D e f e n d a n ts - A p p e llan ts . N o. 09- 56854 D . C . N o. 2: 09 -c v-06 85 8-A H M -E ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia A . H ow a r d M a t z , D i s tr i c tJudge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d M a y8, 2012 P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: D . W . N E L S O N , F IS H E R an dC H R IS T E N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. 

# FI LED JU N 14 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALSS L A P P i s an acr on ym for “ strat egi c l aw sui tagai nstpu bl i c part i cipat i on . ” 1 E qu i lon E nter

prises, L L Cv. C on sum erCau se, Inc. , 52 P . 3d 68 5, 68 7 (C al . 20 02 ). T h e d is tr ic t c o u rt d idn o t d e n yK le in ’s m o tio n p u r s u an t to C a lif o rn iaC iv il 2 P r o c e du r e C o d e § 4 2 5 .1 7 , s o C u s a n o ’s c o n te n tio n th a t th e o r d e ris n o t ap p e a lab le p e rs ub p a r a g r ap h ( e ) o f th a t s e c tio n is in ap p o s ite . See C al . C i v. P roc. C od e § 42 5. 17 (e ) ( prov i di ng thatan order denyi ng an ant i -S L A P P m ot i on t o stri ke un der thi s s ec t i on i n n oti m m edi at el y app ea l abl e) . 2 D efen d an t s-A p p el l an t s G en e K l ei n , K IS S C o . an do th ers (co l l ect i v el y,

“ K l ei n”) app ea l the di stri ctcourt ’ s deni alof thei r m ot i on t o d i sm i ss P l ai nt i ffA pp el l ee V i ncentC usano’ s c om pl ai ntun der C al i forni a C od e of C i vi l P roce du re § 4 2 5 .1 6 , th e s o - c a lle da n ti- S L A P P s ta tu te . W e h a v e ju r is d ic tio n u n d e r2 8 U .S .C . § 1 12 91 , and w e r ever se . 2 1. K l e i n m e thi s thr e s hol d bur de n of s how i ng tha tC us a no’ s r i ghtof publ i c i tyc l a i m a r i s e s outof “ c onduc ti n f

urthe r a nc e of

the e xe r c i s e of

the c ons t i tut i ona l r i ghtof

. . . f r e e s pe e c h i n c onne c t i on w i th apubl i c i s s ue ora n i s s ue of pu bl i c i nt er es t . ” C al . C i v. P roc. C od e § 42 5. 16 (e )( 4); see E q u i lo n E n terp rises, L L Cv. C on sum erCau se, Inc. , 52 P . 3d 685, 694 ( C a l . 2002) . D i s s e m i na t i on of the te le v is io n p r o g r a m a n dD V D s e t c o n s titu te s c o n du c t in f u rth e r a n c e o f

f r e e s p e e c h . Se e Sc h a d

v . B o r o u gh o

f Mo u n t E

p h ra im , 4 5 2 U .S . 6 1 , 6 5 ( 1 9 8 1 ) ( “E n te rta in m e n t, a s w e l l a s p o l i t i c a l a n di d e o l o g i c a l s p e e c h , i s p r o t e c t e d ; mo t i o n p i c tu r e s , p r o g r a ms br oa dc a s tbyr a di o a nd t e l e vi s i on, a nd l i ve e nt e rt a i nm e nt , s uc h a s m us i c a l a nd3

d r a m a tic w o rk s f

a ll w ith in th e F ir s t A m e n d m e n t g u a r a n te e .” ) ; C i nevisi on C orp. v. C i t yof B ur bank , 745 F . 2d 560, 567- 68 ( 9th C i r . 1984) ( r e c ogni z i ng tha tm a ki ng e x p r e s s iv e m a te r ia ls a v a ilab le to th e p ub lic “f u rth e r [ s ] af

ir s t a m e n d m e n t in te r e s t” ) . T he chal l enged act i vi t i es w er e i n con nect i on w i th a pu bl i c i ss ue because they rel at edt o K IS S an di t s m em b ers, i n d i v i du al s o r en t i t i es w h o are i n th e p ub l i c eye o ra r e o f w id e s p r e a d , p ub lic in te r e s t. See N o D ou btv. A ct i visi on P ub l ishi ng, Inc. , 1 9 2 C al . A p p . 4 th 1 0 1 8 , 1 0 2 7 (C al . A p p . 2 0 1 1 ) (h o l d i n g th atu se o f b an dm em b ers’ l i ke ne s s e s i n avi de o ga m e w a s am a tt e rof publ i c i nt e r e s tbe c aus e of the w i despre ad fam e the band had achi eved); N yg a rd , I n c . v . U u s i-Ke r ttu la , 1 5 9 C a l. A p p . 4 th 1 0 2 7 , 1 0 4 2 ( C a l. A p p . 2 0 0 8 ) ( h o ld in g th a t “a n is s u e o f p ub lic in te r e s t” is “a n yis s u e in w h ic h th e p ub lic is in te r e s te d ” an dc o n c lu d in g th a t an a rtic le ab o u t a

“ prom i nentbu si ness m an and cel ebri ty” m etthe st andard (emp hasi s om i tt ed)) . 3. C us a no ha s notm e thi s bur de n of s how i ng apr obabi l i tyof pr e va i l i ng on h is s ta te law r ig h t o f

p ub lic ityc la im , se e E qu i lon E nter prises , 52 P . 3d a t694, b e c au s e th a t c la im is p r e e m p te db yf e d e r a l c o p y r ig h t law , se e 1 7 U .S .C . § 3 0 1 ( a ) . T h e st i l l an dv i d eo fo o t ag e o f C u san o ’ s p erfo rm an ces an dp ub l i c ap p earan ces as a m e m be rof

K I S S a r e “ or i gi na l w orks of author s hi p f

i xe d i n [ a ] t a ngi bl e m e di um of e x p r e s s io n ” w ith in th e s ub je c t m a tte ro f

c o p y r ig h t. 1 7 U .S .C . § 1 0 2 ( a ) ; see a l so L aw s v . So ny Musi c E nter tai nm ent , Inc. , 448 F . 3d 1134, 1137- 38 ( 9th C i r . 2006)4

( s e tt i ng f orth tw o- pa rtt e s tf

orc opy r i ghtpr e e m pt i on) . I n a ddi t i on, the r i ghtC us a no s e e ks t o vi ndi c a t e unde rs t a t e l a w – t o c ontr ol the r e pr oduc t i on a nd di s s e m i na t i on of c opy r i ght abl e w ork – i s “ e qui va l e ntt o . . . r i ght s c ont a i ne d i n 17 U . S . C . § 106, w hi ch art i cul at es the excl usi ve ri gh t s of c op yr i gh tho l ders . ” La ws , 44 8 F . 3d at 1138. I n s hort , “ the unde r l y i ng na tur e of [ C us a no’ s ] s t a t e l a w c l a i m [ ] i s pa rta nd parc elof a c op yr i gh tcl ai m . ” I d. a t1144. I ti s the r e f

or e pr e e m pt e d bythe C o p y r ig h t A c t. F orthe r e a s ons s t a t e d, w e r e ve r s e the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s or de ra nd r e m a nd f or d is m is s a l o f

C u s a n o ’s c o m p la in t. RE V E RS E D A ND RE MAND E D.