Playwright Claims ‘Fair Use’ in Grinch Copyright Case

Cindy Lou Who is a lot more than two in a one-woman play that’s at the center of a copyright battle between its author and Dr. Seuss Enterprises (Lombardo v. Dr. Seuss Enters., L.P., S.D.N.Y., 16-09974, complaint filed 12/27/16).

“Who’s Holiday!” by playwright Matthew Lombardo features a grown-up Cindy Lou Who, a character described as “no more than two” in the classic tale “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss, the pen name of author Theodor Geisel.

In the play, 45-year-old Cindy Lou Who has just gotten out of prison and recounts her troubled life, including ...