Laches Applied In Copyright Claim Based On Retired Boxer Jake La Motta In Raging Bull.

Works were registered with the Copyright Office in 1976 and assigned to a production company and then acquired by MGM who used them to make the film Raging Bull based on the life of a retired boxer, Jake LaMotta. Plaintiff acquired the renewal rights in the works and renewed the copyrights in 1991. In 2009, plaintiff sued MGM for infringing copyrights. The trial court applied the equitable doctrine of laches. The Ninth Circuit affirmed, noting it was undisputed plaintiff was aware of potential claims in 1991 and the reasons asserted for the delay, family illnesses and disabilities, were unsupported by the evidence. Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.  (Ninth Circuit, August 29, 2012) (Case No’s. 10-55834, 10-55853).