Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH v. ROSS Intelligence Inc.
Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH and West Publishing Corp. have sued Ross Intelligence Inc. for copyright infringement. Thomson Reuters alleges that Ross illegally copied content from its legal research platform, Westlaw. Both parties have filed motions for summary judgment, but the court denies them due to genuine disputes of material fact. The fair use defense is also determined to be a matter for the jury to decide. Thomson Reuters has also filed a lawsuit against Ross for tortious interference with contract, claiming that Ross induced LegalEase to breach contract provisions. The court determines that one claim is preempted by federal copyright law, but the other two survive preemption. The court finds genuine disputes of fact regarding Ross's knowledge, intentional act, and justification, thus these elements remain for trial. Thomson Reuters has shown harm resulting from the breach, satisfying the fifth element. The court rejects various defenses raised by Ross and grants summary judgment to Thomson Reuters on the affirmative defenses. In conclusion, the court denies both parties' motions for summary judgment, stating that there are factual disputes to be resolved at trial.
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