Opinion ID: 775658
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 21 Ashton's first argument is that the evidence at trial was insufficient for Wakeen to establish a claim of copyright infringement against it, and therefore, that the district court erred in not granting its motion for JMOL or a new trial. To establish copyright infringement, a plaintiff must prove two elements: 1) ownership of a valid copyright, and 2) copying of constituent elements of the work that are original. Feist Publ'ns, Inc. v. Rural Tel. Serv. Co., Inc., 499 U.S. 340, 361, 111 S. Ct. 1282, 113 L. Ed. 2d 358 (1991). The parties do not dispute that Wakeen owns a valid copyright in LMT, but disagree about whether Sirko copied LMT to create the head that Ashton marketed as Drummer. Given that direct evidence of copying is normally unavailable, copying may be inferred where the defendant had access to the copyrighted work and the accused work is substantially similar to the copyrighted work. Atari, Inc. v. N. Am. Phillips Consumer Elecs. Corp., 672 F.2d 607, 614 (7th Cir. 1982). Thus, Wakeen could establish a prima facie case of copyright infringement by showing that Ashton had access to its copyrighted LMT doll and that Drummer was substantially similar to LMT. See, e.g., Ty, Inc. v. GMA Accessories, Inc., 132 F.3d 1167, 1169-70 (7th Cir. 1997). However, the inference of copying that is drawn from proof of access and substantial similarity can be rebutted by the defendant's showing that it independently created the allegedly infringing work. See id. at 1171. 22 As a practical matter, if two works are so similar as to make it highly probable that the later one is a copy of the earlier one, the issue of access need not be addressed separately, since if the later work was a copy its creator must have had access to the original. Id. at 1170. Thus, if the works resemble each other so closely as to make it highly unlikely that the challenged work was an accident of independent creation, then the similarity is evidence of access. Id. The more a work is both like an already copyrighted work and--for this is equally important--unlike anything that is in the public domain, the less likely it is to be an independent creation. Id. at 1169. Thus, a strong showing of substantial similarity can operate to infer that the defendant had access to the plaintiff's work and that the defendant copied the plaintiff's work rather than independently created its own work. However, the presumption of copying that arises from a showing of substantial similarity can be rebutted by proof of independent creation. Id. ([I]f independent creation results in an identical work, the creator of that work is free to sell it.). A defendant independently created a work if it created its own work without copying anything or if it copied something other than the plaintiff's copyrighted work. See 3 Melville B. Nimmer & David Nimmer, Nimmer on Copyright sec. 12.11[D], at 12- 175 (2001). 23 We now turn to the evidence in this case to determine if it was sufficient to support the jury's findings that: 1) Ashton had access to LMT, 2) there were substantial similarities between LMT and Drummer, and 3) Ashton did not independently create Drummer. Viewing the facts in the light most favorable to Wakeen, as we must, we find that there was sufficient evidence to support the jury's findings. 24 Wakeen could prove access by showing that the defendant had an opportunity to view the protected item. Wildlife Express Corp. v. Carol Wright Sales, Inc., 18 F.3d 502, 508 n.5 (7th Cir. 1994). Susan Wakeen testified that based on a previous working relationship, she sent a master skin of the LMT head to Sirko via UPS on July 16, 1990. Wakeen also introduced a UPS receipt into evidence to corroborate this testimony, which showed that UPS picked up a package addressed to Sirko from Wakeen on that day. While Sirko claimed that she never received the UPS package, the jury rejected this testimony and determined that she did receive it--thereby inferring that she saw the master skin. The jury was presented with conflicting stories--that Sirko received the package containing the master skin or that she did not receive the package. Because a rational juror could have believed Susan Wakeen's testimony that she sent the LMT master skin to Sirko via UPS, as reflected by the UPS receipt, the jury's finding that Sirko had access to LMT was not clearly erroneous. See Coca-Cola Bottling, 95 F.3d at 629; cf. Anderson v. City of Bessemer City, 470 U.S. 564, 574, 105 S. Ct. 1504, 84 L. Ed. 2d 518 (1985) ([W]here there are two permissible views of the evidence, the fact finder's choice between them cannot be clearly erroneous.). 25 The jury's access finding is further supported by the striking similarity between the LMT head and Sirko's doll head that provided the basis for Drummer. See Ty, 132 F.3d at 1170. This court applies the ordinary observer test to determine whether a substantial similarity existed between the two dolls' heads. Wildlife Express, 18 F.3d at 508- 09. The inquiry under this test is whether the accused work is so similar to the plaintiff's work that an ordinary reasonable person would conclude that the defendant unlawfully appropriated the plaintiff's protectible expression by taking material of substance and value. Id. at 509 (quoting Atari, 672 F.2d at 614). Because the works at issue deal with the reproduction of a lifelike object--a toddler--Wakeen must prove that Drummer is substantially similar to those few aspects of the work that are expression not required by the idea. Wildlife Express, 18 F.3d at 508. 26 The idea in this case was a depiction of a toddler's face. The artistic expression of LMT according to Wakeen was an idealized child's face that reflected the essence of a baby's beauty and innocence. Wakeen presented demonstrative exhibits and expert testimony at trial that supported the jury's factual determination that LMT and Drummer were substantially similar. The jury compared the two heads themselves, saw photographs of the two heads, examined porcelains of the heads, and looked at an LMT head with Drummer hair in order to assess the similarities between the two works. In addition, the jury heard testimony from Singer, Wakeen's expert, saying that the two heads' facial features were virtually identical. For example, both heads portrayed a toddler with pouty lips that were lower on the right side of the mouth. 27 On appeal, Ashton argues that to the extent there is a resemblance between LMT and Drummer, this similarity is unavoidable. Ashton argues that babies' faces all have similar features such as large eyes, puffy cheeks, and doubled chins. Ashton also claims that there are, in fact, marked differences between the two dolls. For example, it notes the small differences in size between the features of the two heads. Even if we would have weighed the evidence differently than the jury, we cannot reverse unless we find that there was no rational basis for the jury's finding. See Goodwin, 232 F.3d at 606. Here, there was testimony showing the similarities between the two heads, and these similarities related to features that were not necessary to capture the essence of a baby--such as a pouty expression rather than a smile and lips that were lower on the right side. Thus, there was a rational basis for the jury's conclusion that LMT and Drummer were substantially similar. See Coca-Cola Bottling, 95 F.3d at 629. 28 Having found that Wakeen successfully presented a prima facie case of copyright infringement, the jury next considered whether Sirko copied LMT in designing the head that became Ashton's Drummer, or whether Sirko independently created her work. In support of its claim that Sirko independently created Drummer, Ashton presented testimony from Sirko's friends. These friends claimed that they saw Sirko referring to the photograph of the toddler while working on Drummer. Further, none of these witnesses saw the LMT master skin in Sirko's studio. Wakeen countered that Sirko had seen the master skin of the LMT, that this skin could easily be modified to produce Drummer, and that Sirko lacked the skill to independently create a head like Drummer without copying. Further, Wakeen's expert, Singer, testified that Drummer's features indicated that Sirko made slight modifications to the LMT master skin. On appeal, Wakeen also identifies inconsistencies in the testimony of Sirko's friends. The jury evaluated all of this evidence and found that Sirko copied LMT in producing the head that became Drummer. Because there were facts supporting the jury's conclusion, this finding is not clearly erroneous. See Wildlife Express, 18 F.3d at 506 n.1. 29 The record supports the jury's findings that Sirko had access to the LMT master skin, that LMT and Drummer were substantially similar, and that Sirko copied LMT in designing the head that became Drummer. Therefore, these findings were not clearly erroneous, and the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Ashton's motion for JMOL or for a new trial.