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Rearden LLC et al v. The Walt Disney Company et al

  1. August 27, 2024

    Disney Wipes Out Verdict In Movie Graphics Copyright Suit

    Walt Disney Pictures does not have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in copyright infringement damages a jury said it owes to a digital-effects company after a California federal judge overturned the verdict and granted the entertainment company a post-trial victory.

  2. December 21, 2023

    Disney Owes Damages In 'Beauty' FX Tech Copyright Trial

    A California federal jury on Thursday found Disney owes damages to digital-effects company Rearden for ripping off its copyrighted special-effects software for Disney's 2017 live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast," finding the entertainment giant must pay $250,638 in actual damages and recommending another $345,098 in disgorged profits.

  3. December 19, 2023

    Disney Owes $38.7M For IP Theft, FX Co. Says As Trial Wraps

    Digital-effects company Rearden's counsel urged a California federal jury during closings Tuesday to find Disney owes $38.7 million for "massively infringing" its copyrighted special-effects software for Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" remake, while Disney's counsel argued it isn't liable for its vendor's infringement and the damages request is "the height of ridiculous."

  4. December 18, 2023

    Ex-Disney Exec Denies Seeing MoFo's Letter Alleging IP Theft

    A former Disney executive testified Monday in Rearden's $400 million copyright trial against Disney that he never saw a 2013 letter from the digital effects company's Morrison Foerster LLP attorney — who demanded that a Rearden engineer return stolen software — before Disney used it for the 2017 "Beauty and the Beast" remake.

  5. December 12, 2023

    Disney In-House Atty 'Stunned' By Claims Lobbed In IP Trial

    A Disney in-house attorney testified Tuesday in a $400 million trial over claims Disney ripped off Rearden's special-effects software for the "Beauty and the Beast" remake that he was "absolutely stunned" when Rearden's counsel accused him during openings of "doing nothing" to stop alleged infringement, saying Rearden never even deposed him.

  6. December 11, 2023

    Disney Film Used IP Stolen In 'Smash And Grab,' Jury Told

    Rearden LLC's CEO testified before a jury Monday in a $400 million lawsuit in California federal court that a former engineer stole the company's special-effects equipment in a "smash and grab" break-in before selling it to Disney's vendor for the 2017 remake of "Beauty and the Beast."

  7. December 06, 2023

    Disney Owes $400M For 'Beauty And The Beast' FX, Jury Told

    Digital-effects company Rearden LLC's counsel told a California federal jury during opening arguments Wednesday that Disney owes up to $400 million for allegedly using its copyrighted special-effects software for the 2017 remake of "Beauty and the Beast" while Disney's counsel said it respects copyright law and "did nothing wrong."

  8. November 30, 2023

    IP Forecast: Beauty And The Copyright-Protected Beast

    A federal courthouse in Oakland will be center stage next week for a jury trial over allegations that Disney owes profits from the billion-dollar Emma Watson blockbuster "Beauty and the Beast" remake to ex-Microsoft executive Steve Perlman's digital effects company for infringing copyright-protected software to make the movie's live-action beast. Here's a look at that case — plus all the other major intellectual property matters on deck in the coming week.

  9. November 28, 2023

    Show Jurors The Copyright Notice, Judge Says In Disney Row

    The Walt Disney Co. failed on Tuesday to persuade a California federal judge to stop former Microsoft executive Steve Perlman's digital effects company from potentially showing jurors next week what a team of lawyers from the Mouse House calls a "highly misleading" copyright notice.