As promised, readers, I’m here to provide another update on the Olivia de Havilland case. On Wednesday, a group of intellectual property professors applied to file an amicus curiae brief with the court in support of FX, and today, several more amici curiae briefs were filed, including one from SAG/AFTRA in support of de Havilland.
Amici curiae briefs (“friend of the court” briefs), as I understand them, are statements from third parties with nothing to gain, in support of one side of a court case. Courts can choose to take them under review or not, and I don’t know what the court will do here. But it does look like we may be looking at another delay.
To bring you up to speed on where we are in the process, here is the timeline of the case thus far:
March 2017: Feud: Bette and Joan airs, which contained a portrayal of Olivia de Havilland by Catherine Zeta-Jones. FX did not consult with Olivia about the show or her character.
June 30, 2017: Olivia de Havilland sues FX on four counts–infringement of common law right of publicity, infringement of the California Civil Code on right of publicity, invasion of privacy, and unjust enrichment. Trial set to start November 27.
August 29, 2017: FX files an anti-SLAPP motion (an assertion that a case is frivolous and should be thrown out) for Judge Holly Kendig to consider. They assert that the case is based on protected First Amendment rights. In order to be successful, Olivia’s side will have to show a probability of prevailing should the case go to court.
September 29, 2017: Judge Kendig finds that despite the free speech protections that are afforded to FX, Olivia’s side has proven that they could be successful if they went to court. Free speech protections are not absolutes, and FX’s actions may not be protected under the umbrella of free speech. Trial remains set to start on November 27.
November 17, 2017: FX appeals the decision. The case now goes to the appellate court.
Early December to early January, 2017/2018: Statements and replies are filed.
January 24: Amicus curiae from intellectual property professors
January 26: More amici curiae from Netflix, EFF, and MPAA in support of FX, and SAG/AFTRA in support of Olivia de Havilland.
The case is getting heated, and it will be interesting to watch from now on. Regardless of the ultimate outcome, with her landmark 1944 De Havilland Decision behind her and this case in the works, Olivia de Havilland is now able to say that she has been attached to two significant entertainment law cases in her lifetime.
#odehvfx
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