Make It So: Star Trek-Themed Seuss Mashup OKed as Fair Use (Corrected)

A Star Trek-themed derivative doesn’t infringe Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” largely because it’s transformative and serves a different market, a federal court ruled.

Former Star Trek screenwriter David Gerrold defeated copyright and trademark claims by Dr. Seuss Enterprises, which owns rights to the late author’s work, in a March 12 summary judgment by the U.S. District Court for the District of Southern California.

Gerrold’s book, “Oh, the Places You’ll Boldly Go!,” purposefully imitated the poetry structure and artistic style of Theodor Seuss Geisel. The court rejected Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ argument that Gerrold took more copyrightable material than ...