Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp v. MCA, Inc.

715 F.2d 1327 (1983)

From our private database of 46,500+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp v. MCA, Inc.

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
715 F.2d 1327 (1983)

Facts

In 1977 Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (Fox) (plaintiff) released the film Star Wars. In 1978 MCA, Inc. (defendant) released the film and television series Battlestar: Galactica. Fox brought suit against MCA; Universal (defendant), an MCA subsidiary; and American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (defendant), which televised the series, over similarities between the works. LucasFilm, Ltd. (plaintiff) joined the suit, and the complaint was amended to allege copyright infringement of the 1976 book version of Star Wars as well. Similarities included a galactic war between democratic and totalitarian forces, a friendly robot on the side of the heroes, futuristic space vehicles designed to look old and worn, and a climactic assault on the totalitarian forces’ base by fighter pilots, among other plot points. MCA, Universal, and ABC moved for partial summary judgment, which was granted. Fox and LucasFilm appealed. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Tang, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 832,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,500 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership