Bryan Pringle v. William Adams Jr et al Doc. 160 1 DONALD A. MILLER (SB N 228753) [email protected] 2 BARRY I. SLOTNICK ( Pro Hac Vice ) [email protected] 3 TAL E. DICKSTEIN ( Pro Hac Vice ) [email protected] 4 LOEB & LOEB LLP 10100 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 2200 5 Los Angeles, California 90067-4120 Telephone: 310-282-2000 6 Facsimile: 310-282-2200 7 Attorneys for SHAPIRO, BERNSTEIN & CO., INC., FREDERIC 8 RIESTERER, AND DAVID GUETTA 9 10 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 11 CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 12 SOUTHERN DIVISION 13 BRYAN PRINGLE, an individual, ) Case No. SACV 10 -1656 JST(RZx) ) 14 Plaintiff, ) Hon. Josephine Staton Tucker ) Courtroom 10A 15 v. ) ) 16 WILLIAM ADAMS, JR.; STACY ) STATEMENT OF FERGUSON; ALLAN PINEDA; and ) UNCONTROVERTED FACTS AND 17 JAIME GOMEZ, all individually and ) CONCLUSIONS OF LAW IN collectively as the music group The ) SUPPORT OF MOTION FOR 18 Black Eyed Peas, et al., ) SUMMARY JUDGMENT BY ) DEFENDANTS SHAPIRO, 19 Defendants. ) BERNSTEIN & CO, INC., ) FREDERIC RIESTERER AND 20 ) DAVID GUETTA ) 21 ) Complaint Filed: October 28, 2010 ) Trial Date: February 28, 2012 22 ) Hearing Date: December 19, 2011 10:00 AM 23 24 25 26 27 28 DEFENDANTS’ STATEMENT OF NY987153.4 UNCONTROVERTED FACTS AND 217131-10001 CONCLUSIONS OF LAW Dockets.Justia.com 1 Pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Central 2 District of California Local Rule 56-1, and the Court’s Initial Standing Order at 3 11(c)(i), Defendants Shapiro, Bernstein & Co, Inc. (“Shapiro Bernstein”), Frederic 4 Riesterer and David Guetta (collectively, “Defendants”) respectfully submit this 5 Statement of Uncontroverted Facts and Conclusions of Law in Support of their 6 Motion for Summary Judgment. 7 8 I. Pringle Cannot Establish Infringement of “Take a Dive” (Dance Version) A. Pringle Cannot Show That He Owns a Valid Copyright In “Take a 9 Dive” (Dance Version) 10 1. Pringle Cannot Prove That The Guitar Twang Sequence Was 11 His Original Work of Authorship 12 (a) There is No Evidence that the Guitar Twang Sequence Was Pringle’s Original Work of Authorship 13 Authority: Benay v. Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc. , 607 F.3d 620 (9th Cir. 2010) (citation omitted); Satava v. Lowry , 323 F.3d 805 (9th Cir. 2003); 14 17 U.S.C. § 410(c). 15 16 UNCONTROVERTED MATERIAL FACT SUPPORTING EVIDENCE 17 Background Facts and Pringle’s Allegations 18 1. Bryan Pringle is a real-estate developer from Compl. (Doc. 1) at ¶ 9. San Antonio, Texas. 19 2. In October 2010, seventeen months after “I Compl. (Doc. 1) 20 Gotta Feeling” was released, Pringle filed suit against each of The Black Eyed Peas, Guetta, 21 Riesterer and eleven (11) record labels and 22 music publishing companies, claiming that “I 23 Gotta Feeling” infringed the musical composition copyright in “Take a Dive” and the 24 composition and sound recording copyright in 25 “Take a Dive (Dance Version). 26 27 28 DEFENDANTS’ STATEMENT OF NY987153.4 UNCONTROVERTED FACTS AND 217131-10001 1 CONCLUSIONS OF LAW 1 3. Pringle alleges that he created “Take a Dive” in Dickstein Decl., Ex. A (First 2 1998, and created “Take a Dive” (Dance Amended Complaint Version) in 1999 by removing the vocals from (“FAC”) ¶¶ 29, 40-41) 3 “Take a Dive” and adding a repeating “guitar 4 twang sequence.” 4. Pringle alleges that “Take a Dive” is Dickstein Decl., Ex. A (FAC 5 substantially similar to “I Gotta Feeling” and ¶¶ 29, 40-41) 6 that the recorded guitar twang sequence in “I Gotta Feeling” was “directly sampled” from 7 “Take a Dive” (Dance Version). 8 5. Pringle states that the guitar twang sequence Dickstein Decl., Ex. A (FAC consists of four notes (D4, C4, B3 and G3), and ¶ 29) 9 also presents a transcription of the sequence that 10 contains only three notes (D4, C4 and B3) and is in the key of G3. 11 6. Pringle asserts that, aside from removing the Pringle’s Memo of Law for 12 vocals and adding the guitar twang sequence, PI Motion (Doc. 73-1) at 4 “Take a Dive” and “Take a Dive” (Dance n.3 13 Version) are exactly the same. 14 Pringle’s Alleged Creation of “Take a Dive” (Dance Version) 7. Pringle does not recall how, specifically, he Dickstein Decl., Ex. E 15 created “Take a Dive” (Dance Version). (Pringle Dep. Tr. at 219:14- 16 24) 8. Pringle is unable to explain how he allegedly Dickstein Decl., Ex. E 17 created “Take a Dive” (Dance Version) and the (Pringle Dep. Tr. at 100:24- 18 guitar twang sequence, including: (i) the month, 101:8, 204:17-206:20; season or even the year in which he allegedly 239:10-240:8, 242:3-17; 19 created the song (ii) how he recorded the guitar 216:20-217:21, 244:6-245:6, 20 twang sound or the chords that comprise the 249:15-250:12) 21 guitar twang sequence, or (iii) how he allegedly added the guitar twang sequence into the 22 original version of “Take a Dive.” 23 9. Pringle identifies no one who can corroborate Dickstein Decl., Ex. E his story about how he allegedly created “Take (Pringle Dep. Tr. 201:4- 24 a Dive” (Dance Version). 202:18) 25 10. Pringle testified that the guitar twang sequence Dickstein Decl., Ex. E was “just a sample” of a Fender Stratocaster (Pringle Dep. Tr. 230:7- 26 guitar sound that Pringle obtained from a music 231:2) 27 sample disc named “Best Service.” 28 DEFENDANTS’ STATEMENT OF NY987153.4 UNCONTROVERTED FACTS AND 217131-10001 2 CONCLUSIONS OF LAW 1 11. Pringle has never played a Stratocaster guitar. Dickstein Decl., Ex. E 2 (Pringle Dep. Tr. 235:20- 236:20) 3 12. Pringle testified that the guitar twang sequence Dickstein Decl., Ex. E 4 was “possibly from [a music sample disk (Pringle Dep. Tr. 235:20- named] Best Service or it’s from the other 236:20) 5 sample artists.” 6 13. The details Pringle has provided indicate that Dickstein Decl., Ex. E the guitar twang sequence was not his original (Pringle Dep. Tr. 230:7- 7 work, but something he copied from another 231:2, 235:20-236:20) 8 source. Guetta and Riesterer’s Independent Creation of “I Gotta Feeling” 9 14. In 2008, William Adams, a member of The Dickstein Decl., Ex. B 10 Black Eyed Peas, asked David Guetta to create (Adams Dep. Tr. 236:17- the music for a song for The Black Eyed Peas’ 239:20, 258:6-18) 11 new album. 12 15. To create the music, Guetta collaborated with Riesterer Decl. at ¶¶ 4-7; Frederic Riesterer. Dickstein Decl., Ex. C 13 (Riesterer Dep. Tr. 165:19- 14 166:21, 179:10-181:8) 16. Riesterer created a sequence of guitar sounds Riesterer Decl. at ¶¶ 4-7; 15 using an electronic guitar sound (or “pre-set”) Dickstein Decl., Ex. C 16 he selected from “PlugSound: Fretted (Riesterer Dep. Tr. 165:19- Instruments,” a French sound library. 166:21, 179:10-181:8) 17 17. Riesterer then used sound processing software Riesterer Decl. at ¶¶ 4-7; 18 to modify the PlugSound guitar pre-set. The Dickstein Decl., Ex. C 19 result was a “twangy” sound that was different (Riesterer Dep. Tr. 165:19- from both the PlugSound guitar pre-set and the 166:21, 179:10-181:8) 20 sound that he used in the song “Love is Gone.” 21 18. Using this “twangy” sound, Riesterer composed Riesterer Decl. at ¶¶ 4-7; a progression of guitar chords for use in the new Dickstein Decl., Ex. C 22 song for the Black Eyed Peas. (Riesterer Dep. Tr. 165:19- 23 166:21, 179:10-181:8) 19. The result of Riesterer’s modification of the Riesterer Decl. at ¶¶ 4-7; 24 PlugSound pre-set and his chord progression Dickstein Decl., Ex. C 25 composition was an original guitar “twang” (Riesterer Dep. Tr. 165:19- sequence. 166:21, 179:10-181:8) 26 20. On December 20, 2008, Guetta sent Adams the Dickstein Decl., Ex. B 27 music that he and Riesterer created, which they (Adams Dep. Tr. 75:22- tentatively named “David Pop Guitar.” 78:23, 304:9-305:6) 28 DEFENDANTS’ STATEMENT OF NY987153.4 UNCONTROVERTED FACTS AND 217131-10001 3 CONCLUSIONS OF LAW 1 21. Adams wrote lyrics to accompany “David Pop Dickstein Decl., Ex. B 2 Guitar” but did not change any of the music. (Adams Dep. Tr . at 35:3- 38:23, 38:25-39:3, 74:21- 3 75:2, 217:7-10, 258:22- 4 259:13) 22. The combination of Guetta and Riesterer’s Dickstein Decl., Ex. B 5 music with Adams’ lyrics became the song “I (Adams Dep. Tr . at 35:3- 6 Gotta Feeling,” which The Black Eyed Peas 38:23, 38:25-39:3, 74:16- released in 2009. 75:2, 217:7-10, 258:22- 7 259:13) 8 “Remix” Contest for “I Gotta Feeling” 23. In August and September 2009, The Black Warner Decl. ¶ 3 and Audio 9 Eyed Peas and Guetta held a contest to see Exhibits thereto 10 which DJ could create the best re-mix of “I Gotta Feeling.” 11 24. Each of the separate instrumental tracks (known Warner Decl. ¶ 3 and Audio 12 as music “stems”) of “I Gotta Feeling,” were Exhibits thereto made available for download on Beatport.com. 13 25. The music stems made available on Dickstein Decl., Ex. D; 14 Beatport.com included the guitar twang Warner Decl. ¶ 3 and Audio sequence that Riesterer and Guetta had created, Exhibits thereto 15 as well as The Black Eyed Peas’ lead and 16 background vocal tracks for “I Gotta Feeling.” 26.