Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
United States Supreme Court
572 U.S. 663 (2014)
Frank Petrella and Jake La Motta co-wrote a copyrighted screenplay about La Motta's boxing career that was assigned to MGM (defendant) and became the film Raging Bull, which grew highly profitable only decades later through new investment. Petrella's daughter, Paula Petrella (plaintiff), renewed the copyright in 1991, notified MGM of it in 1998, and sued for infringement in 2009, seeking relief only for infringements within the preceding three years. The district court granted MGM summary judgment based on laches, and the circuit court affirmed.
Whether the doctrine of laches can apply to bar copyright-infringement claims for infringements that occurred within the three-year statute of limitations imposed by 17 U.S.C. § 504(b).