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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

United States District Court for the Central District of California

900 F. Supp. 1287 (1995)

Facts

A commercial for the Honda del Sol depicted a suave man and beautiful young woman being chased by a grotesque villain who jumps from a helicopter onto the roof their car, only to be ejected by the release of the car’s detachable roof. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. (MGM) (plaintiff) and Danjaq (plaintiff) owned the copyrights to the James Bond films as well as intellectual-property rights in the Bond character. MGM and Danjaq brought suit against American Honda Motor Company, Inc. (Honda) (defendant) and Honda’s advertising agency, Rubin Postaer and Associates (Rubin) (defendant), in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. MGM and Danjaq sought a preliminary injunction, alleging infringement of specific scenes from Bond films and of the Bond character itself. Honda and Rubin argued that Bond changed from year to year, actor to actor, and film to film, resulting in a lack of copyrightable character delineation. Honda and Rubin moved for summary judgment.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Kenyon, J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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