Steward Software Co. v. Kopcho

In this case, we address whether a claim under Colorado law for civil theft of a copyrightable work requires a trial court to instruct the jury on principles of federal copyright law. We conclude that, because ownership of a work is distinct from owner*1086ship of a copyright in that work, federal copyright law does not apply to a claim under Colorado law for civil theft of a work. Because Steward Software Company (Steward Software) claimed only that Richard Kopcho stole software and not that he stole a copyright in the software, the trial court correctly refused to instruct the jury on federal…