Literary legend William Faulkner was known for spectacular writing. His sentences were often very long indeed. So, perhaps it's ironic that a brief Faulkner quotation – a single line -- from his work Requiem for a Nun was at the center of a federal copyright lawsuit, namely, "The past is not dead. Actually it's not even past."

In Woody Allen's motion picture, Midnight in Paris, several literary lights of the 1920s appeared as characters including Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Faulkner.

Faulkner Literary Rights LLC, owner of copyrights of Faulkner sued. The defendants filed a motion to dismiss the case.

The case raises a question of interest: namely, is some unauthorized copying of copyrighted works so minimal that the copying is permitted without even having to undertake the typical four-factor fair use defense analysis?

In considering the motion picture company's motion to dismiss Judge Michael P. Mills, Chief Judge of the federal court for the District of Mississippi (not far from the location of Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County).   

Why should anyone other than fair use obsessives care? Because in this era of unauthorized repurposing, reusing, and remixing other people's content, the more that the federal courts find ways of permitting unauthorized uses, the clearer the rules of the road will become in favor of free use

If the de minimis standard could be invoked more easily instead of being a very rare copyright bird, courts could declare the unauthorized copying as legal -- and bypass the nuanced (albeit uncertain) weighing of the four fair use factors. 

In dismissing Faulkner's claim, the court said, "No substantial similarity exists between the copyrighted work and the allegedly infringing work."

The court also said that it "is highly doubtful that any relevant markets have been harmed by the use in Midnight. How Hollywood's flattering and artful use of literary allusion is a point of litigation, not celebration, is beyond this court's comprehension. The court, in its appreciation for both William Faulkner as well as the homage paid him in Woody Allen's film, is more likely to suppose that the film indeed helped the plaintiff and the market value of Requiem if it had any effect at all."   If so, the phrase no good deed goes unpunished comes to mind.

This article is for general information and does not include full legal analysis of the matters presented. It should not be construed or relied upon as legal advice or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. The description of the results of any specific case or transaction contained herein does not mean or suggest that similar results can or could be obtained in any other matter. Each legal matter should be considered to be unique and subject to varying results. The invitation to contact the authors or attorneys in our firm is not a solicitation to provide professional services and should not be construed as a statement as to any availability to perform legal services in any jurisdiction in which such attorney is not permitted to practice.

Duane Morris LLP, a full-service law firm with more than 700 attorneys in 24 offices in the United States and internationally, offers innovative solutions to the legal and business challenges presented by today's evolving global markets. Duane Morris LLP, a full-service law firm with more than 700 attorneys in 24 offices in the United States and internationally, offers innovative solutions to the legal and business challenges presented by today's evolving global markets. The Duane Morris Institute provides training workshops for HR professionals, in-house counsel, benefits administrators and senior managers.