Williams v. Crichton

How courts have described this case

Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.

• holding that on defendants' motion for summary judgment, \a determination of substantial similarity requires a 'detailed examination of the works themselves’\
• holding that a list of random similarities is not probative of substantial similarity “because it fails to address the underlying issue: whether a lay observer would consider the works as a whole substantially similar to one another”
• noting that similarity in pace “without more, does not create an issue of overall substantial similarity between the works”
• holding figures of muscular superheroes in fighting poses are examples of scènes à faire
• finding that even though both works involved a dinosaur zoo and both contained electrified fences, automated tours, dinosaur nurseries, and uniformed workers, such elements of settings were “scenes a faire”
• noting that the law requires “the lay observer to focus on similarities rather than differences when evaluating a work. Only when the similarities are insubstantial or unprotectable will a claim fail.”

Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).

Cited by

73 cases in this archive cite this case; the 20 most cited are listed.

• Castle Rock Entertainment, Inc. v. Carol Publishing Group, Inc., Defendant-Cross Claimant-Appellant, Beth B. Golub, Defendant-Cross
  Second Circuit· 1998-07-10· cited 296×
• Douglas Alan Stromback, Plaintiff-Appellant/cross-Appellee v. New Line Cinema, Defendant-Appellee/cross-Appellant, Larry Hess
  Sixth Circuit· 2004-10-08· cited 133×
• Sturdza v. United Arab Emirates
  D.C. Circuit· 2002-03-08· cited 115×
• Williams v. Crichton
  Second Circuit· 1996-05-22· cited 98×
• Stephen L. Bucklew v. Hawkins, Ash, Baptie & Co., Llp, and Hab, Inc.
  Seventh Circuit· 2003-05-27· cited 90×
• Cavalier v. Random House, Inc.
  Ninth Circuit· 2002-05-21· cited 68×
• Matthew Bender & Company, Inc., Hyperlaw, Inc., Intervenor-Plaintiff-Appellee v. West Publishing Co. West Publishing Corporation
  Second Circuit· 1998-11-03· cited 66×
• Funky Films, Inc. v. Time Warner Entertainment Co., L.P.
  Ninth Circuit· 2006-08-30· cited 60×
• Murray Hill Publications, Inc., Plaintiff-Appellee/cross-Appellant v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Defendant-Appellant/cross-Appellee
  Sixth Circuit· 2004-03-19· cited 59×
• Coach, Inc. v. Horizon Trading USA Inc.
  S.D. New York· 2012-11-07· cited 56×
• Ferdinand Pickett, Cross-Appellee v. Prince
  Seventh Circuit· 2000-03-14· cited 50×
• Bridgeport Music, Inc. v. UMG Recordings, Inc.
  Sixth Circuit· 2009-11-04· cited 41×
• Hogan v. DC Comics
  S.D. New York· 1999-01-26· cited 40×
• Tufenkian Import/Export Ventures, Inc. v. Einstein Moomjy, Inc.
  Second Circuit· 2003-07-30· cited 39×
• Herzog v. Castle Rock Entertainment
  Eleventh Circuit· 1999-10-27· cited 38×
• Odegard, Inc. v. Costikyan Classic Carpets, Inc.
  S.D. New York· 1997-05-06· cited 28×
• Randolph v. Dimension Films
  S.D. Texas· 2009-06-29· cited 26×
• Whitehead v. Paramount Pictures Corp.
  District of Columbia· 1999-06-30· cited 26×
• Bill Diodato Photography, LLC v. Kate Spade, LLC
  S.D. New York· 2005-09-27· cited 22×
• Mannion v. Coors Brewing Co.
  S.D. New York· 2005-07-21· cited 22×

Cites

25 cases in this archive are cited by this case; the 20 most cited are listed.

• Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.
  Supreme Court· 1986-06-25· cited 135,235×
• Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, Administratrix of the Estate of Catrett
  Supreme Court· 1986-06-25· cited 119,442×
• Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co.
  Supreme Court· 1991-03-27· cited 2,678×
• Delaware & Hudson Railway Company v. Consolidated Rail Corporation
  Second Circuit· 1990-04-20· cited 514×
• Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corporation
  Second Circuit· 1930-11-10· cited 357×
• Thomas Walker v. Time Life Films, Inc., David Susskind, Gill Champion, Martin Richards and Heywood Gould
  Second Circuit· 1986-01-07· cited 330×
• Knitwaves, Inc., Plaintiff-Appellee-Cross-Appellant v. Lollytogs Ltd. (Inc.) D/B/A French Toast, Defendant-Appellant-Cross-Appellee
  Second Circuit· 1995-11-13· cited 330×
• Art Rogers, Plaintiff-Appellee-Cross-Appellant v. Jeff Koons Sonnabend Gallery, Inc., Defendants-Appellants-Cross-Appellees
  Second Circuit· 1992-04-02· cited 236×
• Reyher v. Children's Television Workshop
  Supreme Court· 1976-11-29· cited 235×
• South Dakota v. Spotted Horse
  Supreme Court· 1991-05-13· cited 190×
• Rebecca Reyher and Ruth Gannett v. Children's Television Workshop and Tuesday Publications, Inc.
  Second Circuit· 1976-04-05· cited 182×
• Laureyssens v. Idea Group, Inc.
  Second Circuit· 1992-05-15· cited 164×
• Fisher-Price, Inc. v. Well-Made Toy Manufacturing Corp.
  Second Circuit· 1994-05-27· cited 142×
• Arica Institute, Inc. v. Helen Palmer and Harper & Row Publishers, Incorporated
  Second Circuit· 1992-07-22· cited 105×
• Ted Berkic v. Michael Crichton, Robin Cook, Marvin Moss, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/united Artists Entertainment Company
  Ninth Circuit· 1985-03-11· cited 89×
• Kregos v. Associated Press
  Second Circuit· 1993-09-01· cited 73×
• Litchfield v. Spielberg
  Ninth Circuit· 1984-07-06· cited 68×
• Jossi v. Brown, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  Supreme Court· 1994-02-22· cited 63×
• Barbara Horgan, as of the Estate of George Balanchine, Plaintiff v. MacMillan Inc., Ellen Switzer, Steven Caras, and Costas
  Second Circuit· 1986-04-28· cited 31×
• Burroughs v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
  Second Circuit· 1982-05-26· cited 27×

Other cases named Williams v. Crichton

3 other CourtListener records share this case name.

• Williams v. Crichton
  Second Circuit· 1996-05-22· cited 98×
• Williams v. Crichton
  S.D. New York· 1994-08-17· cited 8×
• Williams v. Crichton
  S.D. New York· 1994-12-08· cited 6×