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Court Awards Expedited Injunction Hearing to
WHITE WOLF and NANCY A. COLLINS in "Underworld" Suit
Atlanta, GA, 10 September 2003–White Wolf, Inc. and Nancy A. Collins yesterday appeared in court yesterday with their attorneys in an effort to get legal relief from Sony Pictures\', Screen Gems\' and Lakeshore Entertainment\'s alleged copyright infringements in their upcoming film Underworld.
Judge J. Owen Forrester did not grant the requested temporary restraining order, citing a handful of mitigating circumstances, most notably the plaintiff\'s inability to post a bond in excess of ten million dollars. Judge Forrester, however, did call for an expedited discovery period (lasting 30 days) and enabled the plaintiffs to have a preliminary injunction hearing thereafter. Judge Forrester also outlined his policy on fairness in his courtroom and cautioned Sony Pictures against using "big business" delay tactics.
If the injunction is granted, defendants risk their ability to proliferate the Underworld brand in video, licenses and merchandising. "I believe our attorney presented a strong case yesterday," said Mike Tinney, President of White Wolf. "The Judge had done his homework, asked a lot of smart questions, and commented that plaintiffs appeared to have made a valid argument for copyright infringement. For a small company like White Wolf and an individual plaintiff like Ms. Collins, this acknowledgement is very heartening."