Ginn v. Apollo Pub. Co.
Ginn v. Apollo Pub. Co.
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff and defendant each complain of the report of the master. Whatever real substantial injury either of these parties would suffer from a decree following the findings of the master flows from the acts either of omission or commission of
The trial of this case resulted in the usual findings establishing the rights of the plaintiff, the infringement of those rights by the defendant, the extension of the remedy of injunction and the awarding of damages and profits or a penalty, as the case might be. In copyright as in patent cases, the purpose is to find the amount of damages or of profits. The difference in the two classes of cases is a practical one. In patent cases, the profits are found by contrasting the amount of proceeds of sales made with the total cost of production. In copyright cases, under the act of 1912 (Act Aug. 24, 1912, c.. 356, § 25(b), 37 Stat. 489 [Comp. St. 1913, § 9516]), the plaintiff may show only the receipts, or debit side of the account, and put upon the defendant the burden of proving the cost of production, or the plaintiff may exact the penalty. A successful plaintiff is thus given something in the nature of certain options. He may take damages and profits or the penalty imposed. If he takes profits, he may avail himself of the method of proving profits given,, by the act of 1912. This method, however, is not exclusive. Whatever method he adopts, he may apply it by calling upon the defendant to account, or by proving either sales or profits through and by evidence introduced or witnesses called by him. He may require the production of books and papers, and in proper cases offer them as part of his evidence in proof of either sales or profits. He may compel such production either by notice, or through an order to produce, or by a subpoena duces tecum. Certain legal consequences follow the method adopted, which differ if some one other than a party is subpoenaed.
The decree in this case was a consent decree, in the sense that it was prepared and submitted by counsel. It awards damages and profits, the ascertainment of the amount of which to be by the special master. The plaintiff began before the master in the regular way of securing the allowance of an order on the defendant to file an account in accordance with the established practice under the equity rules. After this, however, the proceedings were diverted by the plaintiff to an inquiry into the financial condition of the defendant, its original organization, the issue of its stock and obligations entered into by it, and what had become of its assets. Witnesses were subpoenaed, and required to produce and to testify as to books and papers. Some of the witnesses were officers and some employes of the defendant, and some were persons into whose control its books of account had
What had previously been done can be soon recounted. Plaintiff began with -asking for a formal order on the defendant for an accounting in accordance with the equity rules. This was limited (as plaintiff had the right "to limit it) to an account of sales. The master promptly issued the order. Plaintiff made no formal proof of how or when it was served. A number of witnesses, some of whom were or had been executive officers of defendant, were subpoenaed and testified. 1 The inquiry was then diverted, as already stated, to other matters. In the midst of this, however, an account was stated and produced. This seems to have been in part the joint production of the former manager and former bookkeeper of defendant, and in part was made up from the report of an examination of the books of the defendant which had previously been made. Just what it was does not perhaps clearly appear, but plaintiff went over it and had a statement prepared from it by other accountants. The plaintiff offered the statement of its accountants, and the defendant recalled its manager, who testified to facts upon which was based, at least in part, an account which he had prepared which showed the profits received from sales after the cost was deducted.
Fronf all which took place there is to be gathered these facts: The defendant admits $1,141.34 of profits to have been received in all. The plaintiff disputes the correctness of the witnesses’ statement of the cost of production.
We must now recur to the early stages of the proceedings. Plaintiff by the bill of complaint specifically averred the copyright of books known as Frye’s Geographies, Smith’s Arithmetics, and Cyr Readers, and the infringement by defendant. There was, in addition, a general averment that the specific instances given were typical of infringement of plaintiff’s copyrights in many other instances. At the trial there was no controversy over plaintiff’s copyrights, but no formal proof was made of any copyrights except those specifically averred. During the proceedings before the master it appeared from the admissions made in the accounting that' a number of other copyrighted books of plaintiff were in fact to be added to the list of those proof of the copyright and infringement of which had been offered at the trial. It is also clear that at least some of the “elements of cost” in defendant’s accounting of profits are based upon tire statement of others than the witness who was called to vouch the account.
The bill of complaint laid' at the door of the defendant the charge of three wrongs. One was unfair trade competition; another, in
Both parties have filed exceptions to the report of the master. The plaintiff has further made application to have the decree opened, the bill amended, and proofs of the omitted copyrights heard. The case has been long pending and should be disposed of. Neither party is entitled to any further indulgence than is required to reach as nearly ■a correct calculation of the profits as can now be made. Any amount which would ultimately be awarded would scarce repay the expense of a satisfactory examination, and in all probability would be the amount which we think should now be found.
The conclusion reached is that the amount of the profits be fixed at the sum of $1,141.34 on the basis of the inclusion of the omitted copyrights, and to carry this into effect the leave asked for by plaintiff is granted, and the exceptions of defendant to the report of the master are sustained, to the extent that the finding that plaintiff is entitled to recover from defendant as profits the sum named in the master’s report is modified and changed to the sum of $1,141.34, and the defendant’s exceptions are (except to this extent), as well as the exceptions of plaintiff, dismissed, and the report of the master, as thus modified, is confirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- GINN & CO. v. APOLLO PUB. CO.
- Status
- Published