Source: https://cumberlandtrialjournal.com/2019/04/01/full-moon-full-breakfast-and-full-costs/
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 14:01:51+00:00

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Because of the high cost of litigation, Congress allows for a party to recover costs as awards. Specifically, there are six categories of litigation expenses that qualify as costs, and parties are limited to these categories unless another federal statute provides otherwise. Nowhere in the general costs statute allows for a cost award to include litigation expenses, such as jury consulting, expert witnesses, and e-discovery.
In Rimini Street, Inc., Oracle sued Rimini Street for copying software belonging to Oracle without properly licensing it. After a jury found Rimini guilty of copyright infringement and in violation of several computer access statutes, the federal district court awarded Oracle $50 million in damages, $28.5 million in attorneys’ fees, $4.95 million in costs, and “$12.8 million for litigation expenses such as expert witnesses, e-discovery, and jury consulting.” On appeal, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the $12.8 million award, even though it is not included in one of Congress’s six categories, because section 505 allows a federal district court to award “full costs” at their discretion.
In accordance with Crawford, the second case, West Virginia University Hospitals, Inc. v. Casey, and the third case, Arlington Central School District Board of Education v. Murphy, help establish the clear rule that “a statute awarding ‘costs’ will not be construed as authorizing an award of litigation expenses beyond the six categories listed in §§1821 and 1920, absent an explicit statutory instruction to that effect.” Consequently, Oracle could not be awarded the $12.8 million in litigation expenses because the Copyright Act does not expressly authorize awards beyond the six specific categories in the general costs statute.
A “full moon” means the moon, not Mars. A “full breakfast” means breakfast, not lunch. A “full season ticket plan” means tickets, not hot dogs. So too, the term “full costs” means costs, not other expenses. The dispute here, therefore, turns on the meaning of the word “costs.” And as we have explained, the term “costs” refers to the costs generally available under the federal costs statute—§§1821 and 1920. “Full costs” are all the costs generally available under that statute.
Secondly, the phrase “full costs,” whatever the historical significance, is to be interpreted by reference to the general costs statute based upon the decision in Crawford Fitting. Oracle argued that in 1831, Congress adopted “full costs” from the copyright statute in England and that Congress intended the phrase to override any costs statute adopted at a later date. Kavanaugh emphasized the importance of case law—pointing to the Crawford Fitting decision to show that there should not be “extensive historical excavation.” Moreover, there had been no federal court decisions awarding litigation expenses beyond the costs specified in applicable state or federal statutes between the years of 1831 and 1976.
Finally, the Court emphasized that “full costs” would be redundant if it was interpreted how Oracle desired it to be interpreted. The Copyright Act provides, “[e]xcept 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.” If “full costs” was meant to cover all expenses, not just the six, then the second sentence of section 505 would just repeat what the first sentence already covers. As a result, the Supreme Court reversed and remanded this case.
 28 U.S.C.S. §§ 1821, 1920 (LexisNexis 2019); Rimini St., Inc. v. Oracle USA, Inc., No. 17-1625, 2019 U.S. LEXIS 1733, at *8 (Mar. 4, 2019).
 See 28 U.S.C.S. § 1920 (LexisNexis 2019) (limiting fees and costs).
 Rimini St., Inc., 2019 U.S. LEXIS 1733, at *4; 17 U.S.C.S. § 505 (LexisNexis 2019).
 Rimini St., Inc., 2019 U.S. LEXIS 1733, at *4.
 Id. at *6; 17 U.S.C.S. § 505 (LexisNexis 2019).
 Rimini St., Inc., 2019 U.S. LEXIS 1733, at *8.
 Rimini St., Inc. v. Oracle USA, Inc., No. 17-1625, 2019 U.S. LEXIS 1733, at *8 (Mar. 4, 2019).
 Id. (quoting Crawford Fitting, 482 U.S. at 439) (internal quotation marks omitted).
 Rimini St., Inc., 2019 U.S. LEXIS 1733, at *10.
 Rimini St., Inc. v. Oracle USA, Inc., No. 17-1625, 2019 U.S. LEXIS 1733, at *12-13 (Mar. 4, 2019).
 Id. at *15. There were over 800 copyright decisions from the time the Copyright Act was adopted to the year the Copyright Act was last significantly amended. Id. No federal court decision awarded expert witness fees until the Ninth Circuit in 2005. Id.
 17 U.S.C.S. § 505 (LexisNexis 2019).
 Rimini St., Inc., 2019 U.S. LEXIS 1733, at *17.
What a fascinating read. Great insight and great writing!

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