The copyright holder and publisher of the O'Connor's series of legal books have settled copyright infringement litigation they filed against creators of the mobile application PUSH:legal.
On Sept. 10, the publisher — JPM Interests d/b/a Jones McClure Publishing of Houston — and the copyright owner — McClure Family LP — announced a settlement in McClure Family LP, et al v. Texas Legal Apps LLC, et al., which was filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas.
A Sept. 10 press release on a Jones McClure publishing blog quotes Push:legal founders Jonathan J. Paull and Alex Torry as stating that they had determined that “certain contract content developers” had copied Jones McClure’s books. “[W]e’ve apologized to Jones McClure Publishing and we have now completely corrected the copied portions,” Paull and Torry wrote in the release. “We are very excited about our new product, and look forward to focusing on providing our customers with great content.”
E. Armistead Easterby, an attorney at Williams Kherkher in Houston who represents Jones McClure, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment. The press release quotes him: “[T]he settlement was fair and we are pleased with the result.”
Defense attorney K.A.D. Camara, a founder of Camara & Sibley in Houston, says terms of the settlement are confidential.
The plaintiffs had alleged the defendants "engaged in wholesale, willful copying" of 11 O'Connor's books. In a May 21 original complaint, the plaintiffs alleged that, in creating mobile deskbooks that lawyers can use through the app, the defendants "copied each and every unique aspect" of O'Connor's books about criminal, family and property law, among others, as well as those about rules of evidence and procedure.
The defendants denied copyright infringement and argued the plaintiffs misused any copyright they have in the books, according to a July 9 answer and counterclaim.
The plaintiffs sued Texas Legal Apps Inc., Paull, Torry and employee Richard McNairy, plus five Doe defendants who allegedly “contributed to” Texas Legal Apps' mobile deskbooks. On Aug. 16, U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas of Houston signed an order dismissing McNairy from the suit.
Camara confirmed the settlement is on behalf of all remaining defendants.
-- Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
The Majesty of the Law is more than a reflection on O’Connor’s own experiences as the first female Justice of the Supreme Court; it also contains a discussion of how the suffrage movement changed the lives of women in voting booths, jury boxes, and homes across the country. In The Majesty of the Law, Sandra Day O’Connor reveals some of what she has learned and believes about American law and life, insights gleaned over her years as one of the most powerful and inspiring women in American history.
Posted by: Trademark Attorney | September 17, 2012 at 11:35 PM