No. 18-1150

Georgia, et al. v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc.

Lower Court: Eleventh Circuit
Docketed: 2019-03-05
Status: Judgment Issued
Type: Paid
Amici (34)Relisted (2)
Tags: annotations copyright copyright-law government-edicts judicial-opinions legal-annotations official-code-of-georgia-annotated public-policy state-statutes statutes statutory-interpretation
Key Terms:
DueProcess Copyright JusticiabilityDoctri
Latest Conference: 2019-06-20 (distributed 2 times)
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether the government edicts doctrine extends to—and thus renders uncopyrightable—works that lack the force of law, such as the annotations in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTION PRESENTED This Court has held, as a matter of “public policy,” that judicial opinions are not copyrightable. Banks v. Manchester, 128 U.S. 244, 253-254 (1888). Lower courts have extended that holding to state statutes. See, e.g., John G. Danielson, Inc. v. Winchester-Conant Props., Inc., 322 F.3d 26, 38 (1st Cir. 2003). But the rule that “government edicts” cannot be copyrighted has “proven difficult to apply when the material in question does not fall neatly into the categories of statutes or judicial opinions.” Ibid. The question presented is: Whether the government edicts doctrine extends to—and thus renders that lack the force of law, such as the annotations in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. (D

Docket Entries

2020-05-29
JUDGMENT ISSUED.
2020-04-27
Adjudged to be AFFIRMED. Roberts, C. J., delivered the <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/18-1150_new_d18e.pdf'>opinion</a> of the Court, in which Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh, JJ., joined. Thomas, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Alito, J., joined, and in which Breyer, J., joined as to all but Part II–A and footnote 6. Ginsburg, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Breyer, J., joined.
2019-12-02
Argued. For petitioners: Joshua S. Johnson, Washington, D. C.; and Anthony A. Yang, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. (for United States, as amicus curiae.) For respondent: Eric F. Citron, Bethesda, Md.
2019-11-08
Reply of petitioners State of Georgia, et al. filed. (Distributed)
2019-11-04
Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument GRANTED.
2019-10-25
CIRCULATED
2019-10-23
Record requested from the U.S.C.A. 11th Circuit.
2019-10-16
Brief amicus curiae of American Intellectual Property Association filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of The Center for Democracy and Technology and Cato Institute filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of Current and Former Government Officials filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of American Library Association, et al. filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of Professor Shyamkrishna Balganesh and Professor Peter S. Menell filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of 39 Law Students, 24 Solo and Small-Firm Practitioners of Law, and 38 Legal Educators filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of 116 Law Librarians and 5 Law Library Organizations filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of Next-Generation Legal Research Platforms and Databases filed.
2019-10-16
Corrected Certificate of Word Count with respect to amici brief of Next-Generation Legal Research Platforms and Databases filed. (Oct 23, 2019).
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press & 25 Media Organizations filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of The American Civil Liberties Union, et al. filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of Brendan Keefe, in His Official Capacity as Chief Investigative Reporter for 11Alive Atlanta, and WXIA-TV filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and Human Rights Defense Center filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of Electronic Privacy Information Center, et al. filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of Print Disability Advocates filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amici curiae of Law Professors Nina Mendelson, et al. filed.
2019-10-16
Brief amicus curiae of Caselaw Access Project filed.
2019-10-15
Brief amicus curiae of Internet Association filed.
2019-10-15
Brief amici curiae of 36 Computational Law Scholars filed.
2019-10-11
Brief amici curiae of The R Street Institute, the Wikimedia Foundation, and Public Knowledge filed.
2019-10-11
Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument filed.
2019-10-09
Brief of respondent Public.Resource.Org, Inc. filed.
2019-09-13
SET FOR ARGUMENT on Monday, December 2, 2019.
2019-08-30
Brief amicus curiae of The Copyright Alliance filed.
2019-08-30
Brief amicus curiae of Matthew Bender & Co., Inc. filed.
2019-08-30
Brief amici curiae of International Code Council, Inc. and American Gas Association filed.
2019-08-30
Brief amici curiae of Arkansas, et al. filed.
2019-08-30
Brief amicus curiae of The Software & Information Industry Association filed.
2019-08-30
Brief amici curiae of American Society For Testing And Materials, et al. in support of neither party filed.
2019-08-30
Brief amicus curiae of United States filed.
2019-08-29
Brief amicus curiae of National Association of Home Builders in support of neither party filed.
2019-08-23
Brief of petitioners State of Georgia, et al. filed.
2019-08-23
Joint appendix (3 Volumes) filed. (Statement of costs filed)
2019-07-09
Joint motion to extend the time to file the briefs on the merits granted. The time to file the joint appendix and petitioners' brief on the merits is extended to and including August 23, 2019. The time to file respondent's brief on the merits is extended to and including October 9, 2019.
2019-07-02
Joint motion for an extension of time to file the briefs on the merits filed.
2019-06-24
Petition GRANTED.
2019-06-17
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/20/2019.
2019-05-28
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/13/2019.
2019-05-24
Reply of petitioners State of Georgia, et al. filed. (Distributed)
2019-05-10
Brief amici curiae of 119 Law Students, et al. filed.
2019-05-10
Brief of respondent Public.Resource.Org, Inc. in opposition filed.
2019-05-09
Brief amici curiae of Next-Generation Legal Research Platforms and Databases and Digital Accessibility Advocate in support of respondent filed.
2019-05-06
Brief amici curiae of R Street Institute, et al. in support of respondent filed.
2019-05-01
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including May 10, 2019.
2019-05-01
Motion to extend the time to file a response from May 3, 2019 to May 10, 2019, submitted to The Clerk.
2019-04-04
Brief amicus curiae of Matthew Bender & Co., Inc. filed.
2019-04-04
Brief amici curiae of Arkansas, et al. filed.
2019-04-04
Brief amicus curiae of The Software & Information Industry Association filed.
2019-03-27
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including May 3, 2019.
2019-03-22
Motion to extend the time to file a response from April 4, 2019 to May 3, 2019, submitted to The Clerk.
2019-03-01
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due April 4, 2019)
2018-12-20
Application (18A598) granted by Justice Thomas extending the time to file until March 4, 2019.
2018-12-07
Application (18A598) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from January 17, 2019 to March 4, 2019, submitted to Justice Thomas.

Attorneys

116 Law Librarians and 5 Law Library Organizations
Kyle Kenneth CourtneyHarvard University, Amicus
36 Computational Law Scholars
Michael Alan LivermoreUniversity of Virginia School of Law, Amicus
39 Law Students, 24 Solo and Small-Firm Practitioners of Law, and 38 Legal Educators
Jeffrey Theodore PearlmanIP & Technology Law Clinic, USC Gould School of Law, Amicus
American Intellectual Property Association
Brian D. WassomWarner Norcross + Judd, Amicus
American Library Association, et al.
Jennifer Marie UrbanSamuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic,, Amicus
American Society For Testing And Materials, et al.
Donald B. Verrilli Jr.Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, Amicus
Arkansas, et al.
Nicholas Jacob BronniSolicitor General of Arkansas, Amicus
Brendan Keefe, in His Official Capacity as Chief Investigative Reporter for 11Alive Atlanta, and WXIA-TV
Paul Robert KosterEmory Law School, Amicus
Caselaw Access Project
Christopher Theodore BavitzCyberlaw Clinic, Harvard Law School, Amicus
Current and Former Government Officials
Sarang Vijay DamleLatham & Watkins LLP, Amicus
Electronic Privacy Information Center, et al.
Marc RotenbergElectronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Amicus
International Code Council, Inc.; American Gas Association
James HamiltonMorgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Amicus
Internet Association
Joseph Charles GratzDurie Tangri LLP, Amicus
Law Professors Nina Mendelson, et al.
Allison M. ZievePublic citizen Litigation Group, Amicus
Matthew Bender & Co., Inc.
Misha TseytlinTroutman Sanders LLP, Amicus
National Association of Home Builders
Amy Christine ChaiNational Association of Home Builders, Amicus
Next-Generation Legal Research Platforms and Databases and Digital Accessibility Advocate
Phillip Robert MaloneJuelsgaard Intellectual Property and Innovation Clinic, Amicus
Print Disability Advocates
Jessica Paulie WeberBrown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, Amicus
Professor Shyamkrishna Balganesh and Professor Peter S. Menell
Peter S. MenellUniversity of California, Amicus
Public.Resource.Org, Inc.
Eric F. CitronGoldstein & Russell, P.C., Respondent
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press & 25 Media Organizations
Bruce David BrownReporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Amicus
State of Georgia, et al.
Joshua Stephen JohnsonVinson & Elkins LLP, Petitioner
Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and Human Rights Defense Center
Gautam Singh HansVanderbilt University Law School, Amicus
The American Civil Liberties Union, et al.
David D. ColeAmerican Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Amicus
The Center for Democracy and Technology and Cato Institute
Marta Francesca BelcherRopes & Gray LLP, Amicus
The Copyright Alliance
Nancy E. WolffCowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard LLP, Amicus
The R Street Institute, the Wikimedia Foundation, and Public Knowledge
Charles DuanR Street Institute, Amicus
The Software & Information Industry Association
Andrew John PincusMayer Brown LLP, Amicus
United States
Noel J. FranciscoSolicitor General, Amicus