Legal Opinion
Donna Corbello v. Frankie Valli
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Decided February 10, 2015No. 12-16733, 13-15826PublishedCited by 24 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
Opinion by Judge O’SCANNLAIN; Concurrence by Judge SACK.
OPINION
O’SCANNLAIN, Circuit Judge:
We must decide whether a contractual grant of the exclusive right to use an individual’s “biographies” to create a Broadway musical stage play also constitutes a transfer of a copyright ownership interest in that individual’s unpublished autobiography.
I
A
In 1988, Rex Woodward, a lawyer, journalist, and “Four Seasons” devotee, entered into a written agreement to ghostwrite the autobiography (the “Work”) of Thomas DeVito, one of the original members of the band (later known as “Jersey Boys”). Pursuant to…
2Cases cited10 opinions
- Greenfield v. Philles Records, Inc.New York Court of Appeals · 2002
- Sybersound Records, Inc. v. UAV Corp.Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2008
- Davis v. BligeCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 2007
- Cusano v. KleinCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2001
- Frank Oddo v. Jack W. Ries, Mme Publications, Mme Publishing Company and Material Movement EnterprisesCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 1984
5 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by24 opinions
- Richard Bell v. Wilmott Storage Services, LLCCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2021
- Minden Pictures, Inc. v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2015
- Donna Corbello v. Frankie ValliCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2020
- Photographic Illust'rs Corp. v. Orgill, Inc.Court of Appeals for the First Circuit · 2020
- Bitmanagement Software Gmbh v. United StatesCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit · 2021
19 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.