Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 1 of 24

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
TEAM ANGRY FILMWORKS, INC.,
a California company,
Plaintiff,
v.
LOUISE A. GEER, as Trustee of the
Dille Family Trust,
Defendant.

)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)

Civ. No. 15-1381

OPINION
CONTI, Chief District Judge
I.

INTRODUCTION
California film-production company Team Angry Filmworks, Inc.

(“plaintiff”) calls upon the court to declare that Philip Francis Nowlan’s 1928
science-fiction novella Armageddon–2419 A.D. (“Armageddon”) and character
“Buck Rogers” entered the public domain, pursuant to the Declaratory Judgment
Act (the “DJA”), 28 U.S.C. § 2201(a). As trustee of the Dille Family Trust (the
“Trust”), defendant Louise A. Geer (“defendant”) filed a motion:
 to dismiss this action under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure
12(b)(1) for failure to present a justiciable controversy under the
DJA and Article III of the Constitution; or
 in the alternative, to join necessary parties under Federal Rules of
Civil Procedure 12(b)(7) and 19. (ECF No. 55.)

1

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 2 of 24

Having been fully briefed, defendant’s motion is ripe for disposition. For the
reasons explained in this opinion, plaintiff fails to allege facts sufficient to
establish a justiciable controversy under the DJA and Article III. Accordingly, the
court will grant defendant’s Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss plaintiff’s complaint
without prejudice. The court will deny defendant’s request to join necessary parties
under Rules 12(b)(7) and 19 and plaintiff’s evidentiary objections to defendant’s
exhibits because they are moot. (ECF No. 59.)
II.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY
On August 8, 2015, plaintiff filed a complaint against defendant in the

United States District Court for the Central District of California. (ECF No. 1.) On
September 15, 2015, defendant filed a motion in the California district court to
dismiss the action for want of personal jurisdiction and Article III standing. (ECF
No. 15.) On October 23, 2015, the California district court found venue proper in
the Western District of Pennsylvania under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(1) and transferred
the action to this court under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1404(a) and 1406(a). (ECF No. 27 at 2.)
On November 6, 2015, defendant renewed her Rule 12(b)(1) motion to
dismiss plaintiff’s complaint in this court. (ECF Nos. 43, 44.) On November 25,
2015, plaintiff filed a brief in opposition to defendant’s renewed Rule 12(b)(1)
motion to dismiss. (ECF No. 47.)

2

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 3 of 24

On January 7, 2016, the court held a hearing on defendant’s renewed Rule
12(b)(1) motion to dismiss. (Text Minute Entry, 1/7/2016.) Because plaintiff’s
complaint failed to allege a justiciable controversy under the DJA and Article III,
the court granted defendant’s Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss without prejudice.
(ECF No. 53.)
On January 29, 2016, plaintiff filed an amended complaint. (ECF No. 54.)
On February 19, 2016, defendant filed this motion to dismiss plaintiff’s amended
complaint, with accompanying exhibits, under Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(7). (ECF
Nos. 55, 56, 57.) On March 11, 2016, plaintiff filed a response in opposition to
defendant’s motion and objections to defendant’s exhibits. (ECF Nos. 58, 59.)
III.

STANDARD OF REVIEW
In this case, the standard of review determines the facts the court must

consider in ruling on defendant’s Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss. For this reason,
the court addresses the standard of review before discussing this case’s factual
background.
A.

Rule 12(b)(1) standard

A motion to dismiss challenging the “actual controversy” requirement under
the DJA and Article III is properly brought under Rule 12(b)(1) because “‘standing
is a jurisdictional matter.’” Constitution Party of Pa. v. Aichele, 757 F.3d 347, 357
(3d Cir. 2014) (quoting Ballentine v. United States, 486 F.3d 806, 810 (3d Cir.
3

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 4 of 24

2007)). In deciding a Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss, the court must first
determine whether the motion presents a “‘facial’ attack” or a “‘factual’ attack” on
the claim in issue because that distinction determines “how the pleading must be
reviewed.” Id. at 357–58 (citing In re Schering Plough Corp. Intron, 678 F.3d 235,
243 (3d Cir. 2012)); Mortensen v. First Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass’n, 549 F.2d 884, 891
(3d Cir. 1977).
A facial attack “is an argument that considers a claim on its face and asserts
that it is insufficient to invoke the [subject-matter] jurisdiction of the court”
because “some . . . jurisdictional defect,” e.g., failure to present a justiciable
controversy, “is present.” Constitution Party of Pa., 757 F.3d at 358. In reviewing
a facial attack, the court “‘must only consider the allegations of the complaint and
documents referenced therein and attached thereto, in the light most favorable to
the plaintiff.’” Id. (quoting In re Schering Plough, 678 F.3d at 243). In other
words, a facial attack calls for the court to apply the “same standard of review it
would use in considering a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), i.e., construing
the alleged facts in favor of the nonmoving party.” Id. If the defendant challenges
jurisdiction in its Rule 12(b)(1) motion before answering the complaint or
“otherwise present[ing] competing facts,” the Rule 12(b)(1) motion is, “by
definition, a facial attack.” Id. (citing Mortensen, 549 F.2d at 892 n.17 (“A factual
jurisdictional proceeding cannot occur until [the] plaintiff’s allegations have been
4

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 5 of 24

controverted.”)); Askew v. Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, 684 F.3d 413, 417 (3d
Cir. 2012) (“As the defendant had not answered [the complaint] and the parties had
not engaged in discovery, the [Rule 12(b)(1)] motion to dismiss was facial.”)).
A factual attack, on the other hand, is “an argument that there is no
jurisdiction because the facts of the case—and [in a factual attack] the [court] may
look beyond the pleadings to ascertain the facts—do not support the asserted
jurisdiction.” Constitution Party of Pa., 757 F.3d at 358. “So, for example, while
diversity of citizenship might have been adequately pleaded by the plaintiff, the
defendant can submit proof that, in fact, diversity is lacking.” Id. (citing
Mortensen, 549 F.2d at 891 (“[T]he trial court is free to weigh the evidence[,] . . .
and the existence of disputed material facts will not preclude the trial court from
evaluating for itself the merits of jurisdictional claims.”)) (emphasis added). In a
factual attack, the plaintiff bears the burden of proof that jurisdiction in fact exists,
and the court need not presume the truth of the plaintiff’s allegations. Mortensen,
549 F.2d at 891.
“‘In sum, a facial attack ‘contests the sufficiency of the pleadings,’ [In re
Schering Plough], 678 F.3d at 243, ‘whereas a factual attack concerns the actual
failure of a [plaintiff’s] claims to comport [factually] with the jurisdictional
prerequisites.’” Constitution Party of Pa., 757 F.3d at 358 (quoting CNA v. United
States, 535 F.3d 132, 139 (3d Cir. 2008)).
5

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 6 of 24

B.

Defendant presents a “facial” attack to jurisdiction in this case.

In this case, defendant did not answer plaintiff’s complaint or otherwise
present competing facts (through, for example, affidavits, depositions, or other
evidence) to challenge the court’s subject-matter jurisdiction over plaintiff’s
claims. Instead, defendant argues plaintiff’s amended complaint fails to allege facts
sufficient to support a justiciable controversy under the DJA and Article III. The
exhibits accompanying defendant’s motion to dismiss relate solely to her
arguments under Rules 12(b)(7) and 19, i.e., that the court must join necessary
parties in this action. See (ECF No. 57.) Those contentions do not relate to the
court’s subject-matter jurisdiction over plaintiff’s claims in this case.
Consequently, defendant’s Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss presents a facial
challenge to jurisdiction. Cf. Constitution Party of Pa., 757 F.3d at 358 (“A factual
attack requires a factual dispute, and there is none here.” (emphasis added)).
Because defendant challenges jurisdiction on its face in this case, the court
draws the factual background from plaintiff’s amended complaint, (ECF No. 54).
The court accepts plaintiff’s well-pleaded factual allegations as true and construes
them in its favor. Ballentine v. United States, 486 F.3d 806, 810 (3d Cir. 2007).
IV.

ALLEGATIONS IN PLAINTIFF’S AMENDED COMPLAINT
Plaintiff is a California corporation with its principal place of business in

Los Angeles, California. (ECF No. 54 ¶ 3.) Plaintiff’s president is Don Murphy
6

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 7 of 24

(“Murphy”), a motion picture producer whose production credits include “Natural
Born Killers,” “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” “From Hell,” and the
“Transformers” franchise. (Id.) “Motion pictures on which [Murphy] has acted as a
producer have generated in excess of [$4 billion] in box office revenues.” (Id.)
Defendant resides in New Castle, Pennsylvania. (Id. ¶ 4.) Defendant is
trustee of the Trust. (Id.) Defendant is “actively engaged in offering to license and
licensing . . . rights in and to the character of ‘Buck Rogers,’” who “first appeared”
in Armageddon in 1928 as “Anthony Rogers.” (Id.)
Philip Francis Nowlan (“Nowlan”) was a science-fiction writer “best known
for creating the character of ‘Buck Rogers.’” (Id. ¶ 7.) Buck Rogers “first
appeared” in Armageddon as “‘Anthony Rogers’” in the magazine “‘Amazing
Stories’ (Volume 3, No. 5, August 1928).”1 (Id.) Nowlan died in 1940. (Id.) Under
copyright law, Armageddon “entered the public domain in the United States in or
about 1956 and [worldwide] in or about 2010.” (Id. ¶¶ 8, 12.)
Plaintiff is “currently developing a motion picture project based upon”
Armageddon “including the character of ‘Anthony Rogers’ aka ‘Buck Rogers’ first
appearing therein.” (Id. ¶ 9.) “In connection with its development of the motion
picture project,” plaintiff is “involved in the creation of a screenplay adaptation” of
Armageddon, “which necessarily includes utilization and portrayal of the character
1

Defendant correctly points out that only “Anthony Rogers” appears in
Armageddon. The story does not mention “Buck Rogers.” See (ECF No. 54-1.)
7

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 8 of 24

‘Buck Rogers.’” (Id.) “One of the screenwriters” of plaintiff’s adaptation “happens
to be” Robert Nichols Flint Dille (“Dille”), “one of two” beneficiaries of the Trust.
(Id.) Plaintiff has “preliminarily obtained firm interest from two major motion
picture studios, Warner Brothers and Sony, to fund the production of a major
motion picture based on the project” with a budget “equal to or in excess of [$100
million], neither of which can presently be pursued until the declaratory relief
sought herein can be obtained.” (Id.)
Plaintiff “publicly announced its development of the motion picture project
based upon” Armageddon at “Comic-Con in San Diego, California in July 2015.”
(Id. ¶ 10.) Plaintiff’s “development of the motion picture project is well
underway,” and plaintiff “has engaged substantial in preparations [sic] for
production.” (Id. ¶ 11.) Plaintiff “retained the services” of Susan Montford
(“Montford”) and Murphy “as producers on the project” and “screenwriters” Dille
and Ed Neumaier (“Neumaier”) to “write the screenplay adaptation currently
underway based on an already completed written treatment thereof.” (Id.) Plaintiff
“hired a visual effects supervisor to start pre-visualization on the project in
California, inter alia.” (Id.)
“In response to [plaintiff’s] public announcement regarding its motion
picture project” and to a “Deadline Hollywood article to the same effect appearing
on July 10, 2015,” Dille received a voicemail in California from the Trust’s
8

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 9 of 24

counsel “threatening to sue” plaintiff, Murphy, and “its affiliates in connection
with the [Armageddon] project in ‘every court in the land.’” (Id. ¶ 14.) The Trust’s
counsel “informed [Dille] that he was [at] Comic-Con but would be leaving the
convention early ‘to sue them.’” (Id.)
“At or about such time,” the Trust’s counsel and its “licensing
representative” Jane MacGregor (“MacGregor”) called plaintiff in California
“emphatically instructing [plaintiff] and its affiliates to cease and desist from
developing the motion picture project based upon [Armageddon]” and “making
similar threats to sue if such demands were not complied with.” (Id. ¶ 15.)
MacGregor is the “licensing agent” for the Trust “responsible for negotiating all
film and television deals on its behalf, including deals for character licensing. . . .”
(Id.) During this call, the Trust’s counsel asserted that the Trust “had not given
[plaintiff] or anyone affiliated with it permission to license or use any elements
under the ‘Buck Rogers Universe,’ including [Dille], and that “the copyright in
[Armageddon] was owned by [the Trust].” (Id. ¶ 16.) The Trust’s counsel
“concluded this call by indicating that unless the demand to ‘cease and desist’ was
complied with, immediate legal action seeking injunctive relief under copyright
and trademark would be initiated against [plaintiff], its president [Murphy], and
their affiliates, including [Dille].” (Id.)

9

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 10 of 24

“On or about July 28, 2015,” Dille’s counsel received a letter in California
signed by defendant on behalf of the Trust. (Id. ¶ 18.) In the letter, defendant
asserted that the Trust “had not given permission or license for the use of ‘Buck
Rogers’ or any of the elements of the Buck Rogers Universe to [Dille] or
[plaintiff].” (Id.) “The letter also accused [Dille] of acting to damage the interests
of the [Trust] and the interests of his co-beneficiaries, asserting that he may be
liable to the Trust and other beneficiaries for any damages caused, and threatening
to proceed with legal action if a satisfactory response was not received within ten
days.” (Id.)
“[L]etters were also sent” by the Trust’s counsel to Murphy “in August 2015
reiterating the above cease and desist demands and threatening imminent litigation
against [plaintiff] and its affiliates if such demands were not complied with.” (Id. ¶
19.)
The Trust “may have or has since commenced litigation” against Dille,
“filing a ‘Writ of Summons’ dated August 31, 2015 against him on an unspecified
claim in a Pennsylvania Court and reflecting that [Geer] is the attorney on behalf
of the plaintiff.” (Id. ¶ 20.) “The action is entitled The Dille Family Trust, Louise
Geer Trustee v. Robert Nichols Flint Dille Beneficiary, Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, County of Lawrence, File No. 2015-10848” (the “Lawrence County
case”). (Id.)
10

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 11 of 24

“Such efforts” by defendant “to intentionally interfere with the lawful
motion picture development by [p]laintiff have rendered much further
development, financing, and production thereof unreasonably difficult if not
unfeasible at this time under such cloud of title.” (Id. ¶ 21.) “[A]s a practical
matter[,] there is obviously little if any commercial interest by third parties such as
Warner Brothers or Sony in financing, acquiring, licensing[,] or distributing a
motion picture (project) embroiled in a chain of title dispute.” (Id. ¶ 28.) “By virtue
of the cloud that now hangs over this motion picture project, exploitation proves
virtually impossible, as virtually any commercial distribution of any motion picture
requires securing of errors and omissions insurance,” and “[d]efendant and [her]
counsel are well aware that insurers may well refuse to issue a policy in the first
place under these circumstances.” (Id.) “Alternatively, that [sic] they would only
do so subject to such exclusions that distributors would find unacceptable.” (Id.)
Defendant “asserts exclusive ownership rights under [c]opyright to the
character of ‘Anthony Rogers’ aka ‘Buck Rogers’ originally created by [Nowlan]
in [Armageddon].” (Id. ¶ 22.) “[A]lthough [p]laintiff lacks personal knowledge,”
plaintiff “assumes and does not deny that [defendant] is the sole owner of the
[Nowlans’] rights in [Armageddon], but only to the extent that any such rights are
valid and existing.” (Id.) Defendant “asserts sole and exclusive ownership under
[c]opyright as to all enumerated rights under 17 U.S.C. [§] 106 regarding the use of
11

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 12 of 24

the ‘Anthony Rogers’ aka ‘Buck Rogers’ [c]haracter originally created by
[Nowlan] in [Armageddon].” (Id. ¶ 23.) “Such assertion of exclusive ownership
over a work that has entered the public domain is wrongful and improper as a work
in the public domain cannot be infringed.” (Id.)
“An actual controversy of a justiciable nature currently exists” between
plaintiff and defendant “as to whether the development of a motion picture project
based upon [Armageddon] including the character of ‘Anthony Rogers’ aka ‘Buck
Rogers’ first appearing therein, infringes the rights asserted by [defendant].” (Id. ¶
25.) “Specifically, in connection with [plaintiff’s] development of the motion
picture project, the creation of a screenplay adaptation of [Armageddon]
necessarily includes utilization and portrayal of the character ‘Buck Rogers.’” (Id.)
Plaintiff’s “development of the motion picture project is well underway,” and “it
has engaged in substantial development efforts and preparations for production of
this motion picture project such that but for a finding that the motion picture
project infringes or for extraordinary and unforeseen contingencies, further
production efforts could be undertaken in short order.” (Id. ¶ 26.)
Plaintiff seeks a declaratory judgment from the court that:
 “copyright having expired in the United States and the world as
to [Armageddon], . . . any member of the public, including
[p]laintiff, has the right in the United States to copy the
expression embodied in this public domain work”;

12

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 13 of 24

 “copyright having expired in the United States and the world as
to [Armageddon], . . . and as to the ‘Anthony Rogers’ aka
‘Buck Rogers’ character originating therein, any member of the
public, including [p]laintiff, has the right in the United States to
copy the expression embodied in this public domain work, and
to create and exploit derivative works incorporating any and all
of the ‘Anthony Rogers’ aka ‘Buck Rogers’ character without
infringing any right of [defendant] under copyright”; and
 copyright having expired in the United States as to
[Armageddon], . . . any member of the public, including
[p]laintiff, has the right in the United States to copy the
expression embodied in this public domain work, and to create
and exploit derivative works incorporating any and all of the
‘Anthony Rogers’ aka ‘Buck Rogers’ character without
infringing any right of [defendant] under the Lanham Act.”
(Id. at 11–12.) In addition, plaintiff requests that
[defendant] be enjoined from directly or indirectly asserting rights
under [c]opyright in and to [Armageddon] and/or the “Anthony
Rogers” aka “Buck Rogers” story elements originating therein, or
assisting in any such activity, and from interfering with the
exploitation of the “Anthony Rogers” aka “Buck Rogers” character
and story elements by [p]laintiff.
(Id. at 12–13.) Finally, plaintiff seeks costs and attorney’s fees under 17 U.S.C. §
505. (Id. at 13.)
V.

DISCUSSION
A.

The DJA’s “actual controversy” requirement

In relevant part, the DJA provides that
[i]n a case of actual controversy within its jurisdiction, . . . any court
of the United States . . . may declare the rights and other legal
relations of any interested party seeking such declaration, whether or
not further relief is or could be sought.
13

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 14 of 24

28 U.S.C. § 2201(a). “[T]he phrase ‘case of actual controversy’ in the [DJA] refers
to the type of ‘Cases’ and ‘Controversies’ that are justiciable under Article III.”
MedImmune, Inc. v. Genentech, Inc., 549 U.S. 118, 127 (2007) (citing Aetna Life
Ins. Co. of Hartford v. Haworth, 300 U.S. 227, 240 (1937)).
Before the United States Supreme Court decided MedImmune, courts
applied a two-part test to determine whether a justiciable controversy existed for a
declaration of noninfringement of intellectual property rights. See Sony Elecs., Inc.
v. Guardian Media Techs., Ltd., 497 F.3d 1271, 1283 (Fed. Cir. 2007) (citing preMedImmune decisions).2 Under this test, courts sought to determine whether:
(1) the declaratory-judgment plaintiff actually produced or was
prepared to produce an allegedly infringing product; and
(2) the declaratory-judgment defendant’s conduct created in the
declaratory-judgment plaintiff a “reasonable apprehension” that
the defendant would file suit if the alleged infringing activity
continued. Id.
In MedImmune, the United States Supreme Court rejected the “reasonable
apprehension of suit” requirement of this test. 549 U.S. at 132 n.11 (“The

2

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit applied this test to
patent disputes. But in the intellectual property realm, the “same principles that
control patent cases” apply “if a declaratory judgment is sought about a copyright”
under the DJA. 10B CHARLES WRIGHT et al., FEDERAL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE
§ 2761 (3d ed. 2015) (citing decisions); see, e.g., Young v. Vannerson, 612 F.
Supp. 2d 829, 839 (S.D. Tex. 2009) (“The [United States Court of Appeals for the]
Fifth Circuit adopted this [two-part test] and extended it to all types of intellectual
property disputes. . . .” (citing Texas v. W. Publ’g Co., 882 F.2d 171, 175 (5th Cir.
1989)).
14

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 15 of 24

reasonable-apprehension-of-suit test . . . conflicts with our decisions. . . .”);
SanDisk Corp. v. STMicroelectronics, Inc., 480 F.3d 1372, 1380 (Fed. Cir. 2007)
(“MedImmune represents a rejection of [the] reasonable apprehension of suit
test.”); Boston Sci. Corp. v. Johnson & Johnson Inc., 532 F. Supp. 2d 648, 652 n.7
(D. Del. 2008) (acknowledging MedImmune’s rejection of the “reasonable
apprehension of suit” test).
In MedImmune, the Court reaffirmed the totality-of-the-circumstances
approach and held that a controversy is justiciable under Article III and the DJA if
it is “‘definite and concrete, touching the legal relations of parties having adverse
legal interests.’” 549 U.S. at 127 (quoting Aetna Life Ins. Co., 300 U.S. at 240–41).
It must also be “‘real and substantial[,]’ . . . admit[ting] of specific relief through a
decree of a conclusive character.” Id. (quoting Aetna Life Ins. Co., 300 U.S. at
240–41). In sum, the “‘question in each case’” after MedImmune is “‘whether the
facts alleged, under all the circumstances, show that there is a substantial
controversy, between parties having adverse legal interests, of sufficient
immediacy and reality to warrant the issuance of a declaratory judgment.’” Id.
(quoting Md. Cas. Co. v. Pac. Coal & Oil Co., 312 U.S. 270, 273 (1941) (emphasis
added)). The court cannot issue “‘an opinion advising what the law would be upon
a hypothetical state of facts.’” Id. (quoting Aetna Life Ins. Co., 300 U.S. at 240–
41).
15

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 16 of 24

After MedImmune, whether there has been potentially infringing activity or
meaningful preparation to conduct potentially infringing activity “‘remains an
important element in the totality of circumstances [that] must be considered in
determining whether a declaratory judgment is appropriate’” in an intellectual
property dispute. See Prasco, L.L.C. v. Medicis Pharm. Corp., 537 F.3d 1329,
1336 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (quoting Cat Tech L.L.C. v. TubeMaster, Inc., 528 F.3d 871,
881 (Fed. Cir. 2008)). If a declaratory-judgment plaintiff has not taken “significant,
concrete steps to conduct infringing activity,” the dispute is neither “‘immediate’
nor ‘real’ and the requirements for justiciability have not been met.” Cat Tech
L.L.C., 528 F.3d at 880 (quoting Lang v. Pac. Marine & Supply Co., 895 F.2d 761,
765 (Fed. Cir. 1990)).
B.

Plaintiff fails to present a justiciable controversy in this case.

In this case, the potential copyright-infringing activity is plaintiff’s
anticipated production and release of a film derived from Armageddon and
depicting the character “Buck Rogers.” To prepare the film, plaintiff “retained the
services of” producers Murphy and Montford, screenwriters Dille and Neumaier,
and an unidentified “visual effects supervisor.” (ECF No. 54 ¶¶ 10–11.) A
“screenplay adaptation” is “currently underway.” (Id. ¶ 11.) That adaptation is
“based upon” Armageddon and “necessarily includes” character “Buck Rogers.”

16

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 17 of 24

(Id. ¶ 9.) “Pre-visualization” has “start[ed].” (Id.) Plaintiff has “preliminar[y,] . . .
firm interest” in the project from Warner Brothers and Sony. (Id. ¶ 9.)
Even when accepted as true and viewed favorably, these vague allegations
fail to demonstrate that plaintiff has taken “significant, concrete steps” toward
producing and releasing its film. Cat Tech L.L.C., 528 F.3d at 880. Consequently,
this dispute lacks the requisite “‘immediacy’” and “‘reality’” to warrant the
issuance of a declaratory judgment. MedImmune, 549 U.S. at 127 (quoting Md.
Cas. Co., 312 U.S. at 273).
1.

Immediacy

First, plaintiff fails to allege facts establishing the immediacy of this dispute,
as required by Article III. Generally, the “greater the length of time before
potentially infringing activity is expected to occur, ‘the more likely the case lacks
the requisite immediacy’” under Article III. Cat Tech L.L.C., 528 F.3d at 881
(quoting Sierra Applied Scis., Inc. v. Advanced Energy Indus., Inc., 363 F.3d 1361,
1379 (Fed. Cir. 2004)); see Sobini Films v. Tri-Star Pictures Inc., No. 01-6615,
2001 WL 1824039, at *7 (C.D. Cal. Nov. 21, 2001) (citing Lang, 895 F.2d 761).
In this case, the amended complaint does not contain specific, or even
approximate, allegations about when plaintiff could begin film production, let
alone release the allegedly infringing film, assuming a declaratory judgment is
entered in plaintiff’s favor. A dispute “lacks immediacy” where there are no
17

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 18 of 24

allegations about “when, if ever,” the product will be “used in a manner that could
potentially infringe” the intellectual property rights of another. See Matthews Int’l
Corp. v. Biosafe Eng’g, L.L.C., 695 F.3d 1322, 1328 (Fed. Cir. 2012). Plaintiff’s
nebulous allegations that “development of the [film] is well underway” and that
“further production efforts could be undertaken in short order” are conclusory and
insufficient to show the immediacy required by Article III. Cf. id. at 1329
(“[P]otential future infringement . . . [is not] sufficiently immediate. . . .”). Without
allegations about when film production could begin and when the film could be
released, the court cannot conclude that plaintiff is “immediately prepared” to
engage in copyright-infringing activity, as required under the DJA and Article III.
Sobini Films, 2001 WL 1824039, at *5; cf. Matthews Int’l Corp., 695 F.3d at 1329
(concluding that without “specific and concrete evidence” about when
infringement will occur, “any judicial determination” regarding infringement
“would be premature”); Sierra, 363 F.3d at 1379 (no immediacy where a prototype
of an allegedly infringing product would not operate until more than one year after
the complaint was filed); Telectronics Pacing Sys., Inc. v. Ventritex, Inc., 982 F.2d
1520, 1527 (Fed. Cir. 1992) (no immediacy where clinical trials of a potentially
infringing product began shortly after the complaint was filed and the product was
“years away” from being approved by the Food and Drug Administration); Lang,

18

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 19 of 24

895 F.2d at 764 (no immediacy where the allegedly infringing product “would not
be finished until at least [nine] months after the complaint was filed”).
2.

Reality

Second, plaintiff fails to allege facts establishing the reality of this dispute,
as required by Article III. A dispute is not sufficiently real if it involves
“contingent future events that may not occur as anticipated, or indeed may not
occur at all.” Thomas v. Union Carbide Agric. Prods. Co., 473 U.S. 568, 580–81
(1985). The dispute must not be “nebulous or contingent” but must have taken on a
“fixed and final shape” so the court can “see what legal issues it is deciding, what
effect its decision will have on the adversaries, and some useful purpose to be
achieved in deciding them.” Pub. Serv. Comm’n of Utah v. Wycoff Co., 344 U.S.
237, 244 (1952).
At this early stage, the production and release of plaintiff’s film are
“contingent future event[s]” that may not occur “as anticipated” or “indeed may
not occur at all.” Thomas, 473 U.S. at 580–81. As pleaded by plaintiff, the film
project is still in an inchoate stage. Plaintiff does not allege it hired or entered into
preliminary agreements with the parties “integral to the commencement of
production”—let alone the release—of a “major motion picture.” Sobini Films,
2001 WL 1824039, at *6. Those parties include “key talent” such as, for example,
directors, lead actors, cinematographers, and effects supervisors, in addition to the
19

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 20 of 24

producers, screenwriters, and visualization supervisor pleaded by plaintiff. See id.
at *5.
While plaintiff hired screenwriters and a “screenplay adaptation” of
Armageddon is “currently underway,” plaintiff does not allege a screenplay has
actually been written, finalized, or approved for filming. Plaintiff’s screenplay and
film are “subject to many changes before completion” (assuming they are ever
completed), and it is possible the “final product” will not infringe defendant’s
alleged copyrights in Armageddon and the character “Buck Rogers.” See id. at *7.
The court “simply [cannot] determine at this [nascent] stage” whether plaintiff’s
film, “if completed, would infringe” on existing copyrights owned by defendant. If
the court granted plaintiff a declaratory judgment at this early stage, “it would
simply be rendering an advisory opinion based solely upon [plaintiff’s] assertion”
that no matter what changes the film project undergoes in the future, the finished
product will infringe copyrighted material from Armageddon and the “Buck
Rogers” character. Id. Plaintiff’s allegations are insufficient to establish the
“reality” of this dispute, as required by Article III. Cf. Sierra, 363 F.3d at 1379
(“The greater the variability of the subject of a declaratory-judgment suit,
particularly as to its potentially infringing features, the greater the chance that the
court’s judgment will be purely advisory, detached from the eventual, actual
content of that subject—in short, detached from eventual reality.”); Int’l Harvester
20

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 21 of 24

Co. v. Deere & Co., 623 F.2d 1207, 1216 (7th Cir. 1980) (“Our concern is not that
the [product in question] will never be produced, but rather that because of the
relatively early stage of its development, the design which is before us now may
not be the design which is ultimately produced and marketed.”).
Plaintiff received “preliminar[y,] . . . firm interest” in the project from
Warner Brothers and Sony. Without allegations of actual commitment or intent to
commit—through, for example, letters of intent—plaintiff’s vague, equivocal
assertions fail to demonstrate the reality of this dispute. Plaintiff does not allege it
entered into finalized, or even preliminary, financing, acquisition, licensing, or
distribution agreements with these companies in connection with its potential film.
Indeed, finalized agreements of this nature may never materialize:
“[M]otion picture production companies, agents[,] and others in the
entertainment industry receive vast numbers of stories, treatments,
screenplays[,] and so forth for consideration for development. Out of a
tremendous volume of materials, a relatively few projects are selected
for development and even fewer are ultimately produced.”
Spinello v. Amblin Entm’t, 34 Cal. Rptr. 2d 695, 700 (Cal. Ct. App. 1994) (quoting
J. KENOFF & R. ROSENBERG, ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY CONTRACTS:
NEGOTIATING AND DRAFTING GUIDE § 2.02 (1994) (emphasis added)); see Sobini
Films, 2001 WL 1824039, at *7 (noting that in the film industry, “most proposed
film projects are never actually produced”). Industry practice suggests plaintiff’s
“proposed ‘project’” may “never be completed.” Sobini Films, 2001 WL 1824039,
21

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 22 of 24

at *7. Without concrete allegations demonstrating that plaintiff is capable of
actually producing and releasing its film, the amended complaint fails to establish a
real controversy under the DJA and Article III. See id. at *5–8.
Plaintiff alleges it will be difficult and financially risky to proceed further
with its film project because financiers, distributors, and insurers are less likely to
involve themselves in a production over which the specter of copyright litigation
looms. The court is mindful of plaintiff’s concerns. Article III, however, requires
an immediate and real dispute, notwithstanding the risk or cost a party must bear.
See id. at *4 (“While a subsequent finding of infringement might render [the]
plaintiff’s activity fruitless, that risk must be taken as a prerequisite to seeking
judicial relief [under the DJA]”); id. (“[T]he availability of declaratory relief in
intellectual property actions often enables a potential infringer to avoid
economically wasteful activity, [but] this remedy does not allow [it] to avoid all
potentially wasteful activity.” (emphasis in original)). Plaintiff does not point to,
and the court is unaware of, any decisions indicating otherwise.
Finally, plaintiff alleges defendant’s repeated threats of litigation create an
actual controversy under Article III and DJA. After MedImmune, however, “threats
of legal action, alone, cannot create an actual controversy under the [DJA].”
Vantage Trailers, Inc. v. Beall Corp., 567 F.3d 745, 751 (5th Cir. 2009). Plaintiff

22

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 23 of 24

“must still demonstrate that the controversy was sufficiently immediate and real.”
Id. For reasons already explained, plaintiff fails to do so.3
At this nascent stage in creating its film, plaintiff seeks an opinion from the
court “‘advising what the law would be upon a hypothetical [set] of facts’” in
which it is immediately prepared to produce and release its “Buck Rogers” film.
MedImmune, Inc., 549 U.S. at 127 (quoting Aetna Life Ins. Co., 300 U.S. at 240–
41). Plaintiff fails to allege facts to show it is immediately prepared to produce and
release such a film. The amended complaint inches this dispute closer to the
threshold set by Article III—but plaintiff fails to show “significant, concrete steps”
toward producing and releasing its film, as required under the DJA and Article III.
Under those circumstances, the court will grant defendant’s Rule 12(b)(1) motion
and dismiss plaintiff’s amended complaint without prejudice.

3

Plaintiff alleges defendant filed the Lawrence County suit against Dille by way
of a “Writ of Summons.” An action may be commenced in a Pennsylvania court by
filing a praecipe for a writ of summons or a complaint. PA. R. CIV. P. 401, 1007.
Plaintiff does not allege a complaint has been filed against Dille in the Lawrence
County suit. Without a complaint, this court cannot determine whether the
Lawrence County suit is relevant to this suit. If no complaint has been filed in the
state suit, Dille may move the state court to issue a rule to show cause why a
complaint should be filed. In other words, the burden is on plaintiff in this case to
show that the Lawrence County case is relevant to this case, and procedural
mechanisms exist under Pennsylvania law for it to attempt do so. At this stage,
plaintiff fails to show that the Lawrence County suit is relevant to this suit for
purposes of the DJA and Article III.
23

 Case 2:15-cv-01381-JFC Document 62 Filed 03/21/16 Page 24 of 24

VI.

CONCLUSION
For the reasons set forth in this opinion, the court will grant defendant’s

Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss. Plaintiff’s complaint will be dismissed in its
entirety without prejudice to its amendment. Plaintiff may file an amended
complaint within sixty days of the issuance of this opinion and order.
Defendant’s request to join necessary parties under Rules 12(b)(7) and 19
and plaintiff’s evidentiary objections to the exhibits accompanying defendant’s
motion will be denied because they are moot.
An appropriate order follows.

DATED:

March 21, 2016
/s/ JOY FLOWERS CONTI
Joy Flowers Conti
Chief United States District Judge

24