Opinion ID: 610561
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Damages issues open on appeal

Text: 47 Though the parties have disputed on appeal issues relating to both actual and statutory damages, we conclude that TPP's exercise of its right to elect statutory damages against PIL has eliminated from the case all issues concerning actual damages recoverable from PIL. The election available to a plaintiff by section 504(a) is to be made at any time before final judgment is rendered. 17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(1). In this case, TPP made its choice before final judgment, apparently believing that the statutory award of $120,000 was more likely to be sustained on appeal than the actual damages award of $125,000. We do not think the election continues into the appellate stage. Once a plaintiff has elected statutory damages, it has given up the right to seek actual damages and may not renew that right on appeal by cross-appealing to seek an increase in the actual damages. 48 We do not regard Oboler v. Goldin, 714 F.2d 211, 212-13 (2d Cir.1983), as indicating a contrary rule. In that case, the plaintiff had not elected between remedies prior to judgment, id. at 213, and we therefore permitted it, after remand, to make its choice. But even in that situation, we obliged the plaintiff to choose between statutory damages and a new trial on actual damages; we did not permit the plaintiff, after appeal, to pursue both remedies to a conclusion and then select the one that ultimately proved more favorable.