Michigan vs Princeton, Essay Example

The current case in in regard toa copyright infringement case between the corporate defendant, Michigan Document Services, Inc. and the plantiff, Princeton University Press. The corporate defendant reproduced copyrighted works of scholarship and bound the copies into a bundle of coursework’s, which were sold to students for use in completing homework assignments at the University of Michigan.  The case was presented because the copyshop did not obtain permission rights from the copyright holders.  The fundamental issue addressed in the case was whether or not the “fair use” doctrine, which is written in 17 U.S.C. Section(s) 107, removed the need for the copyshop to obtain permission from the copyright holders. The fair use doctrine states that there is unlimited public access to works in educational settings.  The court, however, decided that there was no fair use and found the infringement a violation.  The district court then presented a judgment order for the copyright holders to be awarded damages. However, during the appeal, the judgment was reversed, but the majority of the judges voted to rehear the case.

The district court ruled that the defendants’ did exploit the copyrighted materials and it was not fair use, which can be agreed. The copyshop duplicated materials for sale in order to obtain a profit through the lack of paying royalties requested by the copyright holders. The potential for disagreement is found in the panel opinion and the circumstances of the case.  It cannot be said that the defendant believed that their act in copying the documents was fair use and was unreasonable; therefore, the case was remanded for statutory damages. Overall, the grant of summary judgment on the issue of fair use was affirmed and the award of the damages was vacated. The court decision created a desirable precedent, which prompted the case to be remanded for reconsideration for damages and ensures that in the future copyshop corporations will obtain permission to use their documents.