A film studio wins $312M in a copyright trial
The Client — A major motion picture studio with a catalog spanning thousands of registered audiovisual works and a long-standing licensing program with legitimate distribution partners worldwide.
The Situation — An unauthorized streaming aggregator built a subscription business on the studio's catalog without licensing. When the studio sued, the defendant raised safe-harbor protection under the DMCA and signaled a willingness to litigate to trial.
The Challenge — Statutory damages in a copyright trial scale with the number of registered works and the strength of the willfulness showing. Most defendants in this posture settle before trial; the few that go the distance typically face complex moderation records that complicate the safe-harbor analysis.
What We Did — The trial team rejected an early settlement that would have capped damages at a fraction of statutory exposure. Discovery focused on the defendant's internal moderation correspondence and direct-financial-benefit evidence sufficient to defeat the safe-harbor defense. Two weeks of trial were structured around a small number of well-prepared fact witnesses rather than a sprawling expert presentation.
The Results — The jury returned a unanimous verdict for the client after less than five hours of deliberation. Damages were awarded at $312M and a permanent injunction issued shortly thereafter. The defendant's appeal was withdrawn following post-trial briefing.
“A small number of well-prepared witnesses, a story the jury could repeat in the deliberation room, and the discipline to skip every expert that did not actually move the verdict. That is how trial cases are won.”
