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Joplin Enterprises v. Allen

795 F. Supp. 349 (1992)

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Joplin Enterprises v. Allen

United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
795 F. Supp. 349 (1992)

Facts

Janis Joplin was a famous musician. After Joplin’s death, the interests of her estate were represented by Joplin Enterprises (plaintiff). Jimmy Allen (defendant) produced a two-act play about Joplin. Act I of the play was a fictional depiction of a day in Joplin’s life. The second act was a fictional depiction of Joplin’s performance in a concert. Joplin Enterprises sued, alleging that Allen infringed upon Joplin Enterprises’ right of publicity. Joplin Enterprises conceded that Act I was exempt from California’s right-of-publicity law, which was the law to be applied under Washington’s choice-of-law rules. Allen filed a motion for a judgment on the pleadings to dismiss Joplin Enterprises’ claim of infringement on its right of publicity.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Coughenour, J.)

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Entertainment Law

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