Chamberlin v. Uris Sales Corp.
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
150 F.2d 512 (1945)
- Written by Alexander Hager-DeMyer, JD
Facts
The copyright on the rules and layout for the game Acy-Ducy, a variation of backgammon, was granted to Raymond Sabin. Sabin did not create the game or its rules, but he began manufacturing and distributing the game. Part of Sabin’s copyrighted rules included a drawn game board copied from a traditional backgammon board. The drawing had small shading defects that were unnoticeable to the average person. Sabin assigned his copyright to Emma Chamberlin, who assigned the copyright to her son, Coleman Chamberlin (plaintiff). The Uris Sales Corporation (Uris) (defendant) purchased the parts for the Acy-Ducy game, including the game rules, and assembled them for sale. Uris’s rules were substantively similar to Chamberlin’s rules and contained a copy of the board drawing. However, Uris did not directly copy the written rules and used unique language to restate certain portions. Chamberlin filed suit against Uris for copyright infringement. The district court dismissed the complaint, and Chamberlin appealed to the Second Circuit.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Frank, J.)
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