‘Lettuce Turnip the Beet’ T-Shirt Phrase Not Protected by Copyright, Court Rules

The phrase “Lettuce turnip the beet” contains no protectable elements, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said July 16, dismissing a copyright infringement claim based on sales of T-shirts featuring the phrase (Gorski v. Gymboree Corp., 2014 BL 197195, N.D. Cal., 5:14-cv-01314-LHK, order 7/16/14).

The plaintiff, an individual who has sold “Lettuce turnip the beet” emblazoned clothing online since 2011, owns a copyright on a T-shirt design featuring the phrase. However, the court said that the only similarities alleged in the complaint, asserted against popular children’s clothier Gymboree, focused on how both parties’ T-shirt ...