Date: 20000928
Docket: T-93-00
BETWEEN:
MARIOLA WOLANSKI
Plaintiff
and
RHOMBUS MEDIA INC., NIV FICHMAN; FRANCOIS GIRARD;
LIONS GATE ENTERTAINMENT INC.; ODEON FILMS INC.
Defendants
REASONS FOR ORDER
NADON, J.
[1] The Defendants are seeking, by way of a motion for summary judgment, the dismissal of the Plaintiff's action.
[2] The Plaintiff alleges that she is the author of an unpublished manuscript entitled "Core of Time" and that the movie "The Red Violin" infringes her copyright in the "Core of Time".
[3] In Pawar v. Canada, [1999] 1 F.C. 158 at 170, Reed J. stated that on a motion for summary judgment the Court had "to take a hard look at the merits of an action at this preliminary stage". Consequently, parties to a summary judgment are expected to show that they do have a case to put forward, thus justifying a full trial of the issues.
[4] It is not disputed that for the Plaintiff to succeed on her action, she must prove that the "Core of Time" was written prior to the writing of "The Red Violin" screenplay and that the Defendants had access to her manuscript prior to the writing of the screenplay. In Arbique c. Gabriele, JE 99-352, Trahan J. of the Quebec Superior Court, at page 3, sets out the facts which a Plaintiff must prove to succeed in a copyright infringement action:
| Pour déterminer s'il y a eu violation du droit d'auteur en l'instance, le Tribunal doit d'abord déterminer si l'oeuvre des demanderesses est une oeuvre antérieure et originale qui bénéficie de la protection de la Loi sur le droit d'auteur. Le Tribunal doit ensuite déterminer si les défendeurs ont eu accès à l'oeuvre protégée et, le cas échéant, s'ils en ont copié une partie essentielle ou si l'oeuvre des défendeurs est le résultat d'un travail indépendant. |
[5] On the evidence before me, I am satisfied that there is no genuine issue of a trial. In my view, the Plaintiff cannot possibly succeed on her action. I agree with counsel for the Defendants that the Plaintiff has no evidence whatsoever to offer in regard to those elements which she must prove in order to succeed.
[6] For these reasons, the Defendants' motion is allowed. Accordingly, the Plaintiff's action shall be dismissed with costs in favour of the Defendants as follows: 100% of their disbursements and 50% of their taxable fees.
MARC NADON Judge
Montreal, Quebec
September 28, 2000