BRAMMER v. VIOLENT HUES PRODUCTIONS, LLC

No. 18-1763.

922 F.3d 255 (2019)

Russell BRAMMER, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. VIOLENT HUES PRODUCTIONS, LLC, Fernando Mico, Owner, Defendant-Appellee. American Photographic Artists; American Society of Media Photographers, Inc.; Arts & Entertainment Advocacy Clinic at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School; Copyright Alliance; Digital Justice Foundation; PACA, Digital Media Licensing Association, Inc.; Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Inc.; New York Intellectual Property Law Association; National Press Photographers Association; Graphic Artists Guild, Inc., Amici Supporting Appellant.

United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Decided: April 26, 2019.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

ARGUED: David Christopher Deal , LAW OFFICE OF DAVID C. DEAL PLC, Crozet, Virginia; David Leichtman , LEICHTMAN LAW PLLC, New York, New York, for Appellant. Thomas Patrick Weir , KIRKLAND & ELLIS, LLP, Washington, D.C., for Appellee. ON BRIEF: Tatsuya Adachi , LEICHTMAN LAW PLLC, New York, New York, for Appellant. Judson D. Brown , Paul J. Weeks , KIRKLAND & ELLIS, LLP, Washington, D.C., for Appellee. Scott J. Sholder , Nancy E. Wolff , COWAN, DEBAETS, ABRAHAMS & SHEPPARD, LLP, New York, New York, for Amicus PACA, Digital Media Licensing Association, Inc. Jay Cohen , Darren W. Johnson , Stephen B. Popernik , Matthew P. Merlo , Anne E. Simons , PAUL, WEISS, RIFKIND, WHARTON & GARRISON LLP, New York, New York; Kathryn E. Wagner , Amy A. Lehman , VOLUNTEER LAWYERS FOR THE ARTS, INC., New York, New York, for Amicus Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Inc. Peter G. Thurlow , New York Intellectual Property Law Association, President, POLSINELLI PC, New York, New York; Martin B. Schwimmer , Lauren B. Emerson , Robert M. Isackson , Second Vice President, Amicus Brief Committee Board Liaison, New York Intellectual Property Law Association, LEASON ELLIS LLP, White Plains, New York; Mitchell Stein , SULLIVAN & WORCESTER LLP, New York, New York, for Amicus New York Intellectual Property Law Association. Keith Kupferschmid , Terry Hart , COPYRIGHT ALLIANCE, Washington, D.C.; Jacqueline C. Charlesworth , Michelle Choe , New York, New York, Beth S. Brinkmann , Michael J. Gaffney , COVINGTON & BURLING LLP, Washington, D.C., for Amicus Copyright Alliance. Thomas B. Maddrey , AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHERS, INC., Dallas, Texas, for Amici American Society of Media Photographers, Inc. and Graphic Artists Guild, Inc. Mickey H. Osterreicher , General Counsel, Alicia Calzada , Deputy General Counsel, NATIONAL PRESS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION, Athens, Georgia, for Amici American Society of Media Photographers, Inc., National Press Photographers Association, Graphic Artists Guild, Inc., and American Photographic Artists. Antigone Gabriella Peyton , David Christopher Johnson , PROTORAE LAW PLLC, Tysons, Virginia, for Amicus Arts & Entertainment Advocacy Clinic at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School. Andrew Grimm , Omaha, Nebraska, Gregory Keenan , DIGITAL JUSTICE FOUNDATION, Floral Park, New York, for Amicus Digital Justice Foundation.

Reversed and remanded by published opinion. Judge Motz wrote the opinion, in which Judge King and Judge Thacker joined.


Russell Brammer, a commercial photographer, brought this copyright infringement action after learning that Violent Hues Productions, LLC, had made an unlicensed use of one of his photographs on its website. The district court granted summary judgement to Violent Hues, ruling

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