United States Second Circuit

Penguin Group (USA) Inc. v. Steinbeck, 06-3226, 06-3696

In an action under the Copyright Act, summary judgment for defendants, on the grounds that a notice purporting to terminate a 1938 agreement granting licenses for publications of certain Steinbeck works was valid, is reversed where: 1) a subsequent agreement entered into in 1994 terminated and superseded the 1938 agreement; 2) the notice of termination was therefore invalid; and 3) the 1994 agreement remains in effect.

Appellate Information

• Decided 08/13/2008
• Published 08/13/2008

Judges

• SACK, Circuit Judge:, Before:  SACK, KATZMANN, and RAGGI, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Second Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Richard Dannay, Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, P.C. (Thomas Kjellberg, of counsel), New York, NY, for Plaintiff-Appellant Penguin Group (USA) Inc., Susan J. Kohlmann, Jenner & Block LLP (Carolina A. Fornos, of counsel), New York, NY, for Plaintiffs-Appellants Kaffaga et al.


• For Appellees:
  
• Mark S. Lee, Manatt Phelps & Phillips, LLP (Benjamin G. Shatz and Alon G. Markowitz, of counsel), Los Angeles, CA, for Defendants-Appellees.

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