Opinion ID: 796853
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Appellants' Infringement Claim

Text: 29 A copyright-infringement claim accrues when a plaintiff knows of the potential violation or is chargeable with such knowledge. Bridgeport Music, Inc., 376 F.3d at 621. In Bridgeport Music, we explained that [b]ecause each act of infringement is a distinct harm, the statute of limitations bars infringement claims that accrued more than three years before suit was filed, but does not preclude infringement claims that accrued within the statutory period. Id. In April 1995, Appellants sent Sony an audit report, which examined the publishing agreements between Miller and Tree and the royalties paid under those agreements. The district court correctly determined that, as of 1995, the Appellants were on notice that Sony was exploiting Miller's songs because the audit report revealed that Sony was licensing and collecting royalties for songs during the renewal term of those songs. The Appellants did not take action against Sony until December 21, 2004, when they filed this suit. Accordingly, Appellants' copyright-infringement claims for Sony's exploitation before December 21, 2001, are barred under the three-year statute of limitations. Further, because each infringement has its own three-year limitations period, the district court correctly determined that infringement claims against Sony for Sony's use of Miller's songs from December 21, 2001, to December 21, 2004 were timely. 30