GARY FRIEDRICH ENTERPRISES v. MARVEL CHARACTERS

Docket No. 12-893-cv.

716 F.3d 302 (2013)

GARY FRIEDRICH ENTERPRISES, LLC, and Gary Friedrich, Plaintiffs-Counter-Defendants-Appellants, v. MARVEL CHARACTERS, INC., a Delaware corporation, Defendant-Counter-Claimant-Appellee, Marvel Enterprises, Incorporated, a Delaware corporation, Marvel Entertainment, Incorporated, a Delaware corporation, Marvel Studios, Inc., a Delaware corporation, Hasbro, Inc., a Rhode Island corporation, Take Two Interactive Software, Inc., a Delaware corporation, Columbia Tri-Star Motion Picture Group, a joint venture, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., a Delaware corporation, Crystal Sky Pictures, a California corporation, Relativity Media L.L.C., a California corporation, Michael De Luca Productions, Inc., a California corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc., Marvel Characters B.V., Marvel International Character Holdings, Inc., Marvel Worldwide, Inc., Defendants-Appellees, 3 Day Blinds, AAGlobal Industries, ABDO Publishing, Adorable Kids, Art. Com Inc., Artimonde Trading Inc., Asgard Press, AST Sportwear Inc., Becker and Mayer LLC, Berkshire Fashions, Best Brands Consumer Products Inc., Biodome, Bowen Designs, Brown Shoes, Buster Brown & Co., Buy Rite Designs, Calego International, CDVisionary, Clicks Worldwide, Corbis Corporation, Comic Images, Conopco Inc., d/b/a Unilever, d/b/a Unilever Canada, Inc., CSS Industries, DCL Motion Pictures LLC, Courage Brands Inc., DCL Motion Pictures, LLC, Desperate Enterprises, Inc., Diamond Select Toys And Collectibles LLC, Doris Kindersly Ltd., Every Pictures Tells A Story, Fantasy Flight Games, Funline Merchandise, Gamer Graphics, Gelaskins, Gentle Giant Ltd., Graphics Imaging, Hands-On Mobile America Inc., Hewlett Packard, Hot Topic, Inc., Hugh, Lauter, Levin And Associates, Jago Corp. Asia Limited, JAKKS Pacific, Inc., Jasman Asia Ltd., Jay Franco & Sons, Inc., JPI Acquisition Group, d/b/a Disguise Inc., Johnny Blaze Sportswear, K2, Inc., Kellytoy (USA), Klutz, Kotobukiya, KHQ Investment LLC, KDT USA, KSM Superhero Ltd., KSM Enterprise Inc., LaserMarch Inc., Leap Year Publishing, LF USA Inc., Lowrider Technology Group, Inc., Mad Engine Inc., Maisto International Inc., Master Replicas Inc., Mattel Inc., Mattel Europa, Mattel Asia Pacifica, Mattel Overseas, Meredith Corporation, MCA Inc., MGA Entertainment, Inc., Mforma Americas Inc., Mforma Holdings, Ltd., Medicom, Mighty Fine, Inc., Mob Town, Monogram International, MZ Berger and Company, NECA Inc., National Entertainment Collectibles Association Inc., NMTC, d/b/a Matco Tools, Inc., NR2B Research, Inc., NTD Apparel, Nubytech, Photo File, Inc., Planetwide Games, Pop Culture Graphics, Inc., R and International, Raven Software, RC2 Corporation, Rittenhouse Archive, Ltd., Sara Lee Corporation, d/b/a Klutz, Screenlife LLC, Sega Corporation, Sega of America, Inc., Sideshow Collectibles, Inc., Sota Toys LLC, Spencer Reed Accessories Ltd., Spin Master Ltd., Street Flyers, Stretch-O-Rama, Inc., Swicherz LLC, THQ Inc., TM International, d/b/a Saavi, d/b/a VSI, Upper Deck Company, Toy Island Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Toy Things, Trends International LLC, Tri-Coastal Design, Tupperware Brands Corporation, US Nutrition Inc., Ultimate Licensing Group LLC, Union Underwear Company, Inc., d/b/a Fruit of the Loom, Universal City, Universal Designs, Ltd., Vetement Adorable Too, Wagerlogic Limited, Walgreen Company, Wear Me Apparel Corp., What Kids Want International, What Kids Want, Inc., Wilton Brands, Inc., Wilton Industries Inc., Wiz Kids LLC, Yellowman LLC, York Wallcoverings, Inc., Zazzle, Inc., Zizzle Holding Limited, MVL International C.V., Marvel Entertainment, LLC, Activision Blizzard, Inc., Scholastic, Inc., DCL Motion Products, Walt Disney Company, Defendants.

United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.

Decided: June 11, 2013.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Charles S. Kramer ( Joseph D. Schneider , on the brief), Riezman Berger, P.C., St. Louis, MO, and Eric W. Evans and Dawn K. O'Leary , Evans Blasi , Granite City, IL, for Plaintiffs-Counter-Defendants-Appellants.

R. Bruce Rich ( Randi W. Singer , Gregory Silbert , and Adam B. Banks , on the brief), Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, New York, NY, and David Fleischer , Haynes and Boone, LLP, New York, NY, for Defendant-Counter-Claimant-Appellee and Defendants-Appellees.

Before: WINTER, CHIN, and DRONEY, Circuit Judges.


CHIN, Circuit Judge.

In 1972, the Marvel Comics Group published a comic book featuring the "Ghost Rider" — a motorcycle-riding superhero with supernatural powers and a flaming skull for a head. The issue — which sold for twenty cents — told the story of Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stunt rider who promised his soul to the devil to save his adoptive father from cancer.

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