Fanatics Didn’t Copy NHL Pucks Memorabilia Design, Court Affirms

Sports merchandise firm Fanatics Inc. didn’t infringe a man’s hockey memorabilia design of a puck that contains melted ice from notable games, a Third Circuit panel affirmed.

William Grondin’s “Slice of the Ice” sculpture didn’t have any protectable copyrighted elements that warranted his lawsuit against Fanatics over the company’s simplified version of “Slice of the Ice,” the opinion filed Friday in the US Appeals Court for the Third Circuit said.

The idea of hockey memorabilia being filled with melted rink isn’t protected because copyright law doesn’t protect ideas, Judge David J. Porter wrote, adding that Grondin’s use of a puck-shaped ...