Haynes and Boone, LLP successfully represented Dow Jones & Company, Inc. in a copyright infringement and breach-of-contract case. In a summary judgment decision, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas sided with Dow Jones, reaffirming key protections for publishers.
The court ruled Thomas Britton Harris IV infringed on Dow Jones' copyrights by distributing more than 6,000 articles from The Wall Street Journal and Barron's to hundreds of recipients over a several-year span. The court rejected Harris's fair use defense and affirmed the enforceability of Dow Jones' subscriber agreement.
The court’s decision reinforces the standards for copyright enforcement, particularly in cases where digital content is shared without proper authorization.
“This ruling is a significant victory for Dow Jones and for digital publishers across industries,” Haynes Boone Media Law Chair Laura Prather said. “It reinforces the importance of protecting intellectual property and ensures that subscription agreements are taken seriously in today’s digital age.”
Prather led the Haynes Boone litigation team with support from Associates Michael Lambert and Reid Pillifant.
The Haynes Boone Media Law Practice Group is nationally ranked by Chambers USA. With offices across the world, Haynes Boone offers a full range of litigation, counseling and advocacy services in all aspects of media and entertainment law nationwide. The firm also supports clients with a broad array of services in connection with media, intellectual property, cybersecurity, data privacy and related issues. Haynes Boone’s expertise includes libel, newsgathering torts, Anti-SLAPP, invasion of privacy, copyright, trademark, theft of idea, right of publicity matters, data privacy and security, AI-related issues, advertising and promotions laws and public information matters.
The court ruled Thomas Britton Harris IV infringed on Dow Jones' copyrights by distributing more than 6,000 articles from The Wall Street Journal and Barron's to hundreds of recipients over a several-year span. The court rejected Harris's fair use defense and affirmed the enforceability of Dow Jones' subscriber agreement.
The court’s decision reinforces the standards for copyright enforcement, particularly in cases where digital content is shared without proper authorization.
“This ruling is a significant victory for Dow Jones and for digital publishers across industries,” Haynes Boone Media Law Chair Laura Prather said. “It reinforces the importance of protecting intellectual property and ensures that subscription agreements are taken seriously in today’s digital age.”
Prather led the Haynes Boone litigation team with support from Associates Michael Lambert and Reid Pillifant.
The Haynes Boone Media Law Practice Group is nationally ranked by Chambers USA. With offices across the world, Haynes Boone offers a full range of litigation, counseling and advocacy services in all aspects of media and entertainment law nationwide. The firm also supports clients with a broad array of services in connection with media, intellectual property, cybersecurity, data privacy and related issues. Haynes Boone’s expertise includes libel, newsgathering torts, Anti-SLAPP, invasion of privacy, copyright, trademark, theft of idea, right of publicity matters, data privacy and security, AI-related issues, advertising and promotions laws and public information matters.
