DING, DONG, THE GOLDMAN’S GONE!

November 9, 2017 Andy Lagopus News, Official 17
ズートピアらくがき詰め by ぼ
After MONTHS of back-and-forth deliberation, including a whole second round of arguments, the matter of Gary Goldman’s lawsuit against Disney over the alleged copyright infringement of Zootopia is OVER!
In his final review of the claims against Disney, U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald has officially dismissed Goldman’s copyright infringement claim!  To quote the Law360 article on the subject,

“…Goldman’s effort to make the plots of “Looney” and “Zootopia” seem similar were strained.  All the purported similarities between the two works were themes, not plot points or sequences of events, that were too general to be protected by copyright law.”

And there you have it!  The U.S. District Court of the Central District of California has finally tossed the case.  The only way Goldman could possibly hope to appeal this decision in a higher court is to take it to either the Federal Circuit Court or the Supreme Court, both of which would review Judge Fitzgerald’s decision and see that there’s nothing more Goldman can say or do to add to this case, and would therefore not even consider it.
The Civil Minutes of the action taken by Judge Fitzgerald (which you can read here) is full of wonderful little tidbits, which we will share after the break.  But for now, we can all rest easy knowing that Zootopia is no longer in any legal danger!  Celebrations are in order!
Check after the break for some of my favorite passages from the official Minutes, in which I go completely overboard with reaction gifs.  They’re gold, man.  (sorry I couldn’t resist one final pun)

Boom

17 Comments

  6. This makes me almost as happy as the night #Zootopia won the Oscar. Finally, this facade is behind us. Such a great day for the fandom 😀

  8. It's dismissed without prejudice, which means it's not *legally* dismissed forever, Goldman can still go to the Supreme Court with this, however the wording is quite clear that, with everything presented, the odds of this going any further are completely minute. The judge has given no leave to amend, so that means nothing can be added to Goldman's case now even if he did take it to the Supreme Court, so the outcome is likely to be the same, or even a dismissal with prejudice there, and I really hope Goldman isn't stupid enough to sink the money and time into doing this, all for it to be completely wasted when that happens. So it's safe to say that it *is*, in effect, gone for good.

    Which is good. Now maybe Disney can get on with the business of franchising Zootopia properly.

    • Ha, was planning to add this explanation but you've beaten me to it.

      And nothing but Praise to Judge Fitzgerald for doing a deep dive into both materials, so much so that he can, with conviction, gave no leave to amend. Great work, Judge!

  9. One less thing to worry about… Now, if only "Zootopia" can regain its popularity from last year, while other Disney animated fare (such as "Frozen") continues to stand out a whole lot more, several years after its own release…

  10. I read the entire treatment Goldman handed in, and I agree with the judge. The similarities are superficial at best, and at worst, stretching it.

    Glad Zootopia won.

  13. Well, what can I say?
    NEVER. SUE. DISNEY.
    You're going to regret it!
    And to Goldman: Ahh, karma's just a gamble, isn't it? YOU JUST GOT SERVED AND ROASTED!
    A song just for this victory!
    https://youtu.be/04854XqcfCY
    Queen – We Are The Champions
    Time for a good old fashioned Victory Screech!
    https://youtu.be/MdN0NXgjsn8

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