Opinion ID: 788833
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Music Critics' Articles and Testimony

Text: 53 PBT also contends that the district court committed reversible error by excluding, as hearsay, several newspaper articles that purported to find strong similarities between Juvenile and Jubilee's songs. PBT argues that the articles are not hearsay because they were not offered to prove that the two songs are substantially similar (i.e., the matter asserted). Rather, PBT claims, the articles were only offered to show that numerous members of the intended audience believed that the two songs were substantially similar. 54 The district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding these newspaper articles. As we have noted previously, the question of substantial similarity is typically left to the fact finders' own impressions. See Bridgmon, 325 F.3d at 576; Three Boys Music Corp., 212 F.3d at 485; King v. Ames, 179 F.3d 370, 376 (5th Cir.1999). Thus, a court could reasonably conclude that the views of persons not on the jury and not qualified to give an expert opinion on substantial similarity should not be admitted. 55 Furthermore, the district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the testimony of the authors of these articles. While such testimony would have cured a potential hearsay problem with the articles, it would not have made the evidence any more probative. In addition, the district court acted within its broad discretion by excluding the testimony on the grounds that PBT failed to include the witnesses on its pre-trial witness lists and that the witnesses had not been deposed before trial. See, e.g., Singer v. City of Waco, 324 F.3d 813, 822 (5th Cir.2003).