Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corp.

Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corporation
CourtUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedNovember 10, 1930
Citation45 F.2d 119 (2d Cir. 1930)
Case history
Prior history34 F.2d 145 (S.D.N.Y. 1929)
Court membership
Judges sittingLearned Hand, Thomas Walter Swan, Augustus Noble Hand
Case opinions
MajorityL. Hand, joined by Swan, A. Hand

Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corporation, 45 F.2d 119 (2d Cir. 1930), was a United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit case on copyright infringement by non-literal copying of a dramatic work. The Court held that copyright protection cannot be extended to the characteristics of stock characters in a story, whether it be a book, play, or film.