Stewart V Apple Complaint

Case 2:10-cv-01012-RSL Document 1 Filed 06/18/2010 Page 1 of 5
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
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MARTYN STEWART, d/b/a ,
10 NATURESOUND.ORG Cause No.
11 Plaintiff,
COMPLAINT FOR
12 v. COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
13 APPLE, INC., MITCH WAITE GROUP LLC JURY TRIAL DEMANDED

and MITCHELL WAITE
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Defendants.
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17 Plaintiff Martyn Stewart, d/b/a Naturesound.org (“Mr. Stewart”) complains of
18 Defendants as follows:
19 PARTIES
20 1. Mr. Stewart is an individual residing in this district in Redmond, Washington.
21 2. Upon information and belief, Defendant Apple, Inc. (“Apple”) is a California
22 Corporation with a principle place of business in Cupertino California.
23 3. Upon information and belief, Mitch Waite Group LLC (“MWG”) is a
24 California Limited Liability Company with a principle place of business in Sausalito
25 California.
26 4. Upon information and belief, Defendant Mitchell Waite (“Mr. Waite”) is an
27 individual residing in Sausalito California.
MANN LAW GROUP

1218 Third Avenue, Suite 1809
COMPLAINT - 1 Seattle, Washington 98101
TELEPHONE: 206.436-0900
1 5. Upon information and belief, Apple is engaged in the business of providing

2 various consumer electronic and software products, including but not limited to, the Apple
3 “iPhone” product and various applications for use therewith to consumers throughout the
4 United States, the State of Washington and in this district.
5 6. Upon information and belief, Defendants MWG and Mr. Waite are engaged in
6 the business of developing and providing various software applications useful in connection
7 with the Apple iPhone, which applications are offered and sold through Apple's “Apple
8 Store” to consumers throughout the United States, the State of Washington and in this district.
9 JURISDICTION AND VENUE
10 7. This is an action arising out of the copyright laws of the United States, 17
11 U.S.C. §501 et seq.
12 8. This Court has subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 501(a) and
13 28 U.S.C. § 1331.
14 9. Venue is proper in this judicial district under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1391 and 1400
15 because the Defendants conduct business within this judicial district, and they or their agents
16 or affiliates can be found in this judicial district. Acts giving rise to this complaint occurred
17 within this judicial district.
18 FACTS
19 10. Mr. Stewart is an audio/naturalist engaged in the business and activity of
20 recording naturally occurring sounds. Many of Mr. Stewart's sound recordings have been
21 included in over 150 feature films, television programs and radio broadcasts. Mr. Stewart's
22 business activities are of a freelance sound recordist also working through his website.
23 11. Over the years, and as part of his activities, Mr. Stewart has recorded and
24 collected the sound of over 3500 birds in their natural settings. These recordings were made
25 and collected over a period of 35 years after locating, identifying and recording the birds in
26 their natural outdoor habitats and settings. Mr. Stewart's bird sound recordings represent a
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MANN LAW GROUP

TELEPHONE: 206.436-0900
1 substantial investment of time, energy, skill and effort and are of important commercial value
2 to Mr. Stewart and his business.
3 12. Mr. Stewart is the owner of all copyrights in the various bird sound recordings
4 that are the subject of this action and that are alleged, herein, to be infringed by Defendants
5 Apple, MWG and Mr. Waite. These copyrights are the subject of a federal copyright
6 registration application filed by Mr. Stewart on December 12, 2009 for his various bird sound
7 recordings and assigned Service Request No. 1-294640521. A copy of Plaintiff’s copyright
8 registration application for the bird sound recordings is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
9 13. In or about February, 2007, Defendant Mr. Waite, on behalf of Defendant
10 MWG, contacted Mr. Stewart concerning the possibility of obtaining a license to use Mr.
11 Stewart's copyrighted bird sound recordings as part of a program for the Palm Pilot called
12 "Winged Explorer". Despite these initial communications, Mr. Stewart and Mr. Waite never
13 concluded a formal license arrangement.
14 14. Without Mr. Stewart's knowledge or consent, Mr. Waite and MWG
15 incorporated Mr. Stewart's copyrighted bird sound recordings into a series of software
16 applications marketed under the general trade name “iBird” for the iPhone product. On
17 information and belief, there are approximately nine individual applications distributed in the
18 iBird series (collectively and individually referred to as the "iBird applications")
19 15. The iBird series of applications are and have been nationally distributed by
20 Defendant Apple for use with iPhones and other devices.
21 16. The “iBird” applications contain and reproduce Mr. Stewart's copyrighted bird
22 sound recordings without the consent or permission of Mr. Stewart, are nationally marketed to
23 consumers throughout the World, including the United States and this District, and have been
24 used by Defendant Apple to promote it's iPhone product in national advertising.
25 17. The iBird applications explicitly identify Mr. Stewart as the recordist and
26 author of the bird sound recordings. Attached as Exhibit B is a screen capture taken from one
27 of the iBird applications illustrating the admission by Defendants that the bird sound
MANN LAW GROUP

TELEPHONE: 206.436-0900
1 recordings used in the iBird applications are in fact Mr. Stewart's bird sound recordings. This
2 admission further evidences Defendants' a priori knowledge of Mr. Stewart's ownership and
3 copyrights in the bird sound recordings.
4 18. Representative samples of advertising for the “iBird” products that are created
5 and distributed by Defendants and their agents that incorporate Mr. Stewart's copyrighted bird
6 sound recordings are attached as Exhibit C,
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8 CAUSE OF ACTION
9 COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
10 19. Mr. Stewart incorporates the allegations made in paragraphs 1-18 as if fully set
11 forth herein.
12 20. Defendants have willfully committed copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C.
13 § 501 et. seq., directly, by inducement, or by way of contributory liability, by knowingly
14 aiding, causing, or committing, the unauthorized practice or execution of one or more
15 exclusive rights owned by Mr. Stewart set forth in 17 U.S.C. § 106, said exclusive rights
16 having been perfected by U.S. Copyright Service Request No. 1-294640521 for Mr. Stewart's
17 sound recordings.
18 PRAYER FOR RELIEF
19 WHEREFORE, Plaintiff, Mr. Stewart, prays for the following relief:
20 A. An order entering judgment in favor of Mr. Stewart and awarding damages to
21 Mr. Stewart in the amount of Mr. Stewart's actual damages and any profits of the Defendants
22 attributable to the infringing acts alleged herein, consistent with 17 U.S.C. § 504(a)(1), or, at
23 his election, an award of statutory damages consistent with 17 U.S.C. § 504(a)(2).
24 B. An order entering judgment in favor of Mr. Stewart and enjoining any further
25 acts of infringement of the copyrights in the bird sound recordings, the “iBird” applications,
26 and further ordering the destruction of all articles used (such as master disks or data models)
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MANN LAW GROUP

TELEPHONE: 206.436-0900
1 in the acts of infringement, consistent with remedies available under 17 U.S.C. § 503 and 15
2 U.S.C. § 1118.
3 C. An award of full costs and reasonable attorney's fees against Defendants and in
4 favor of Mr. Stewart pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 505.
5 D. Such other further relief the Court may deem just and proper.
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7 JURY DEMAND
8 Mr. Stewart demands a trial by jury on all issues presented in this Complaint.
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10 Dated this 18th day of June, 2010.
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Respectfully submitted,
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/s/ Philip P. Mann
13 Philip P. Mann, WSBA No: 28860
MANN LAW GROUP
14 1218 Third Avenue, Suite 1809
15 Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 436-0900
16 Fax (866) 341-5140
[email protected]
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/s/ John Whitaker
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John Whitaker, WSBA No: 28868
19 WHITAKER LAW GROUP
1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2200
20 Seattle, Washington 98101
Phone (206) 319-1575
21 Fax (206) 347-1057
[email protected]
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24 Attorneys for Plaintiff Martyn Stewart
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MANN LAW GROUP

TELEPHONE: 206.436-0900

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Case 2:10-cv-01012-RSL Document 1 Filed 06/18/2010 Page 1 of 5

13 APPLE, INC., MITCH WAITE GROUP LLC JURY TRIAL DEMANDED

20 1. Mr. Stewart is an individual residing in this district in Redmond, Washington.

21 2. Upon information and belief, Defendant Apple, Inc. (“Apple”) is a California

22 Corporation with a principle place of business in Cupertino California.

23 3. Upon information and belief, Mitch Waite Group LLC (“MWG”) is a

24 California Limited Liability Company with a principle place of business in Sausalito

26 4. Upon information and belief, Defendant Mitchell Waite (“Mr. Waite”) is an

27 individual residing in Sausalito California.

MANN LAW GROUP

1 5. Upon information and belief, Apple is engaged in the business of providing

MANN LAW GROUP

MANN LAW GROUP

MANN LAW GROUP

MANN LAW GROUP

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