Tim has already analyzed the decision of the Federal Circuit in Jacobsen v. Katzer, but I’d go even further than he did and say that it could broadly impact the media and software industries. Because violating a condition to copyright can avail a plaintiff to seek greater damages than breach of contract, look for copyright owners to limit the scope of a license to use or redistribute a song or a software program by making them “conditions” of the copyright license and not contractual “covenants.”
The case is good for copyright owners that use open source licenses. But the rationale of the decision is not limited to only open source. And who relies on copyright the most? RIAA and MPAA. It’s only a decision of an interlocutory appeal, but copyright holders everywhere will be reviewing their licenses after this one. My fellow tech transactional attorney friends could be busy, as what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
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