MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd.
| MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd. | |
|---|---|
| Argued March 29, 2005 Decided June 27, 2005 | |
| Full case name | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc., et al. v. Grokster, Ltd., et al. |
| Docket no. | 04-480 |
| Citations | 545 U.S. 913 (more) 125 S. Ct. 2764; 162 L. Ed. 2d 781; 2005 U.S. LEXIS 5212; 75 U.S.P.Q.2d (BNA) 1001; 33 Media L. Rep. 1865; 18 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 547 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Motion to dismiss denied, 243 F. Supp. 2d 1073 (C.D. Cal. 2003); summary judgment granted in part to defendants, 259 F. Supp. 2d 1029 (C.D. Cal. 2003); plaintiffs' motion to dismiss counterclaims granted in part, 269 F. Supp. 2d 1213 (C.D. Cal. 2003); affirmed, 380 F.3d 1154 (9th Cir. 2004); cert. granted, 543 U.S. 1032 (2004). |
| Subsequent | Remanded, 419 F.3d 1005 (9th Cir. 2005); summary judgment opinion on remand, 454 F. Supp. 2d 966 (C.D. Cal. 2006). |
| Holding | |
| Producers of technology who promote the ease of infringing on copyrights can be sued for inducing copyright infringement committed by their users. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated and remanded. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Souter, joined by unanimous |
| Concurrence | Ginsburg, joined by Rehnquist, Kennedy |
| Concurrence | Breyer, joined by Stevens, O'Connor |
| Laws applied | |
| Copyright Act of 1976 | |
MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd., 545 U.S. 913 (2005), is a United States Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled unanimously that the defendants, peer-to-peer file sharing companies Grokster and Streamcast (maker of Morpheus), could be held liable for inducing copyright infringement by users of their file sharing software. The plaintiffs were a consortium of 28 entertainment companies, led by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios.