Sega Enterprises Ltd. v. Accolade, Inc.
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
977 F.2d 1510 (1992)
- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Sega Enterprises Ltd. (Sega) (plaintiff) had a copyright for the computer code behind its Sega Genesis gaming system. Accolade, Inc. (Accolade) (defendant) was a video game producer. Accolade, attempting to determine how to make its games compatible with the Sega Genesis system, disassembled Sega’s computer code. In order to disassemble the code, Accolade copied Sega’s computer code. As a result of the process, Accolade was able to make and sell games that were compatible with the Sega Genesis. These games competed in the market with Sega’s own games. Sega brought suit for copyright infringement. The district court found that Accolade violated Sega’s copyright. Accolade appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Reinhardt, J.)
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