Puerto Rican Sitcom Was Infringing, But Reduction of Damages Was Also Proper

The star of a Puerto Rican sitcom and his company were properly held liable for copyright infringement based on their development of a new sitcom that used the same characters, story, and setting as the original sitcom, making it substantially similar, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled June 13 (TMTV Corp. v. Mass Productions Inc., 1st Cir., 09-1439 / 09-1956, 6/13/11).

While affirming a summary judgment of infringement, the court also agreed with the lower court that the jury’s damage award should be reduced to reflect the amount that the network broadcasting the new ...