Rano v. Sipa Press
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
987 F.2d 580 (1993)
- Written by Sarah Holley, JD
Facts
Kip Rano (plaintiff) was a professional photographer who resided in California. Sipa Press (Sipa) (defendant) was a French corporation in the business of distributing photographs. Goskin Sipahioglu (defendant) was president of Sipa and a long-time resident of France. In 1978, the parties entered into an oral license agreement in France pursuant to which Rano granted Sipa a nonexclusive license to reproduce, distribute, and sell his photographs in exchange for royalties. In 1986, Rano sent a letter to Sipahioglu informing him that he was changing agencies and would no longer be sending negatives to Sipa. Rano later filed suit against Sipa and Sipahioglu for copyright infringement, claiming they had failed to pay him certain royalties, continued to distribute some of his photographs after he demanded their return and after he had attempted to terminate their licensing agreement, and failed to return some of his photographs on demand, among other claims. Rano sought damages and an injunction against Sipa and Sipahioglu’s further use of his photographs. The district court granted Sipahioglu’s motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. Rano appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Brunetti, J.)
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