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A/74836815.4/0999992-0000982002
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTDISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS
GENERAL PRINTING & DESIGN, INC. d/b/a
GLOBAL PRINTING & PACKAGING,
Plaintiff,
v.
SPRINGBOARD, INC. and STUDENT MEDIAGROUP,
Defendants.
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CIVIL ACTIONNO. 12-40030
COMPLAINT AND JURY DEMAND
Plaintiff General Printing & Design, Inc. d/b/a Global Printing & Packaging (Global
Printing & Packaging), for its Complaint for copyright infringement and unfair and deceptive
trade practices against defendants Springboard, Inc. and Student Media Group (collectively,
SMG), alleges as follows:
THE PARTIES
1. Plaintiff General Printing & Design, Inc. d/b/a Global Printing & Packaging is acorporation organized and existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with
its principal place of business located in Southborough, Massachusetts.
2. Upon information and belief, defendant Springboard, Inc. is a corporationorganized and existing under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania with its principal place of
business located in Newark, Delaware.
3. Upon information and belief, defendant Student Media Group, a division ofSpringboard, Inc., is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of
Pennsylvania with its principal place of business located in Newark, Delaware.
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JURISDICTION AND VENUE
4. This Court has original jurisdiction of this action pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1338(a),in that this case arises under the copyright laws of the United States, 17 U.S.C. 101 et seq.
5. This Court also has original jurisdiction of this action under 28 U.S.C. 1332, inthat Global Printing & Packaging, a Massachusetts corporation with its principal place of
business in the Commonwealth, is a citizen of Massachusetts, and SMG is a citizen of Delaware,
and the amount in controversy in this action, exclusive of interest and costs, exceeds $75,000.
6. This Court has supplemental jurisdiction of the state law claim alleged in Count IIunder 28 U.S.C. 1367(a).
7. Venue is proper in this District under 28 U.S.C. 1391(c) in that SMG conductsbusiness in this District and at least part of the events giving rise to the claims stated herein
occurred in this District. Venue is also proper in this District under 28 U.S.C. 1400(a) in that
this action arises under the copyright laws of the United States, 17 U.S.C. 101 et seq. and
SMG may be found in this District.
8. This Court has personal jurisdiction over SMG under the laws of theCommonwealth of Massachusetts, including the Massachusetts long-arm statute, Mass. Gen.
Laws ch. 223A, 3.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
9. Founded in 1965 as a small family-owned business, Global Printing & Packaginghas developed into an international printing solutions firm.
10. Global Printing & Packaging is a full-service commercial print management firmthat specializes in the printing of high quality books, commercial printing and consumer product
packaging.
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11. With a multitude of presses, bindery equipment and in-house graphic designers,Global Printing & Packaging is able to serve a broad range of commercial print manufacturing
needs from conception, design, prepress, production and delivery.
12. Global Printing & Packaging owns and operates Global Datebooks, a division ofGlobal Printing & Packaging that produces day planners for customers nationwide.
13. Global Printing & Packaging works with numerous primary, elementary, middle,junior high, and high schools as well as universities and colleges across the country in designing
daily planners. Global Printing & Packaging has an experienced design team that can develop a
custom day planner from concept to finished product.
14. In connection with designing daily planners, Global Printing & Packaging hascreated substantial new, value-added and unique materials on a wide variety of topics that make
the Global Printing & Packaging planner much more useful and attractive to users (hereafter, the
Resource Pages)
15. The Resource Pages are designed to give students a place to quickly referenceinformation covering a variety of topics. For example, for primary/elementary daily planners,
Global Printing & Packaging has created Resource Pages that cover such topics as goal setting,
study skills, tips for spelling, money skills, math, social studies, geography and recycling and
conservation tips. For middle school and high school planners, Global Printing & Packaging has
created Resource Pages that cover such topics as study skills, goal setting and planning, internet
safety, tips for doing well on exams, health and wellness, recycling and conservation, essay
writing tips, math, science, social studies and geography. And for college and university
planners, Global Printing & Packaging has created Resource Pages that cover such topics as
transition to college life, tips for succeeding in college, career planning, financial planning, study
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skills, health and wellness, recycling and conservation tips, writing essays, math, science, social
studies, and geography.
16. The Resource Pages contain wholly original material and constitute copyrightablesubject matter under the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. 101 et seq., as amended.
17. Global Printing & Packaging has created numerous day planners, includingwithout limitation its 2010-2011 Middle School Planner and 2010-2011 High School Planner.
18. The 2010-2011 Middle School Planner and 2010-2011 High School Planner(collectively, the Works) contain wholly original material and constitutes copyrightable
subject matter under the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. 101 et seq., as amended.
19. Global Printing & Packaging is the owner of all right, title and interest, includingthe copyright, in and to the Works.
20. The Works are the subject of Certificates of Copyright Registration issued by theRegister of Copyrights on March 22, 2012, bearing registration number TX-7497154 for the
2010-2011 Middle School Planner and registration number TX-7497148 for the 2010-2011 High
School Planner.
21. In all respects, the laws of the United States and all other laws governingcopyright have been complied with as respects the Works, and Global Printing & Packaging has
secured the rights and privileges under the copyright in the Works.
22. In 2010, Global Printing & Packaging worked with SMG to develop a planner forthe National Football League (NFL) (hereafter, the 2011-2012 HSPD Planner).
23. As one of its services, Global Printing & Packaging allows customers for whom itis printing custom planners to include some or all of the Resource Pages as part of the planner at
no additional cost.
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24. Global Printing & Packaging allowed SMG to use Resource Pages in the 2011-2012 HSPD Planner because Global Printing & Packaging was printing the books.
25. SMG never received a license or other permission to use the Resource Pages otherthan in connection with the 2011-2012 HSPD Planner being printed for SMG by Global Printing
and Packaging.
26. After the 2011-2012 HSPD Planner, SMG stopped doing business with GlobalPrinting & Packaging. None of SMGs products were printed by Global Printing & Packaging
thereafter.
27.
On information and belief, in 2011, SMG redesigned its website and, without
Global Printing & Packagings permission, used Global Printing & Packagings copyrighted
materials, including copyrighted material from the Works and Resource Pages.
28. On or about May 25, 2011, Jon Feldman (Global Printing & PackagingsOperations Manager) contacted SMG and demanded that the copyrighted material be removed
from SMGs website. SMG acknowledged the request, made minor changes to its website, but
for the most part ignored Global Printing & Packagings request.
29. On information and belief, at least by July 2011, SMG began offering a 2011-2012 Middle School Student Planner and 2011-2012 High School Student Planner (hereafter,
the Infringing Works).
30. The Infringing Works contain verbatim and near-verbatim copies of substantialand material portions of the Works, and particularly the value-added Resource Pages.
31. SMG did not seek and does not have Global Printing & Packagings permission touse its copyrighted material from the Works, including the Resource Pages, in the Infringing
Works or on SMGs website.
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32. On information and belief, the Infringing Works are sold by SMG on the internet,including on Amazon.com, and such orders on Amazon.com are fulfilled directly by SMG d/b/a
Springboard, Inc.
33. On information and belief, SMG advertises the Infringing Works on the internet.34. On information and belief, the Infringing Works are offered for sale throughout
the United States, including in Massachusetts.
35. The Infringing Works have been sold to Massachusetts residents and shippeddirectly into Massachusetts.
36.
On information and belief, SMG has imported hundreds of thousands of a new
product, the HSPD Planners for the 2012-2013 school year.
37. On information and belief, SMG intends to begin distributing this new productthroughout the United States beginning this spring.
38. On information and belief, the 2012-2013 HSPD Planners use Global Printing &Packagings copyrighted material without Global Printing & Packagings permission. Global
Printing & Packaging has asked SMG for an advanced copy of the 2012-2013 HSPD Planner to
determine the extent to which it infringes the Works. SMG has refused to do so.
COUNT ONE - COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
39. Global Printing & Packaging hereby re-alleges the allegations contained inparagraphs 1 through 38 of the Complaint as though fully set forth herein.
40. Global Printing & Packaging owns registered and valid copyrights to the Works.41. Among other things, Global Printing & Packaging has the exclusive right under
17 U.S.C. 106 to reproduce, distribute, and make derivative works based on the Works.
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42. SMG had access to the Works by virtue of SMGs business relationship withGlobal Printing & Packaging before 2011, including their work together on the 2011-2012 HSPD
Planner.
43. The Infringing Works contain verbatim and near-verbatim copies of substantialand material portions of the Works.
44. SMG has knowingly and willfully infringed, and threatens to further infringe,Global Printing & Packagings rights in and to the Works by, inter alia, selling, offering for sale
and otherwise distributing goods incorporating unauthorized copies of the Works and creating
unauthorized derivative works thereof in violation of its rights pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 106.
Specifically, SMG has sold, offered for sale and distributed the Infringing Works that are
substantially similar to the Works, and now threatens to sell and distribute the 2012-2013 HSPD
Planners.
45. The aforesaid infringements by SMG of Global Printing & Packagings rights inand to the Works, and under the copyright relating thereto, were, and continue to be, done with
the full knowledge of or with reckless disregard of Global Printing & Packagings rights in and
to the Works under the Copyright Act.
46. By reason of SMGs aforesaid infringements of Global Printing & Packagingsrights, Global Printing & Packaging has been seriously and irreparably damaged and, unless
SMG is restrained, Global Printing & Packaging will continue to be irreparably damaged.
47. Global Printing & Packaging has no adequate remedy at law for the damageinflicted by SMG.
48. Global Printing & Packaging is entitled to recover from SMG the damages,including attorneys fees, it has sustained from, among other things, any gains, profits and
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advantages obtained by SMG as a result of his acts of copyright infringement alleged above.
Alternatively, Global Printing & Packaging is entitled to recover, at its sole election, statutory
damages as provided by 17 U.S.C. 504(c).
COUNT II -- VIOLATION OF M.G.L. CHAPTER 93A
49. Global Printing & Packaging hereby re-alleges the allegations contained inparagraphs 1 through 48 of the Complaint as though fully set forth herein.
50. At all times relevant hereto, SMG was engaged in trade or commerce within themeaning of M.G.L. c. 93A, 2, 9.
51.
SMGs conduct, as described above, constitutes unfair and deceptive acts or
practices within the meaning of M.G.L. c. 93A, 2, 9.
52. SMG committed its unfair and deceptive acts and practices knowingly andwillfully.
53. SMGs unfair and deceptive conduct occurred primarily and substantially withinthe Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
54. As a result of SMGs unfair and deceptive conduct, Global Printing & Packaginghas suffered, and continues to suffer, injury.
PRAYER FOR RELIEF
WHEREFORE, Global Printing & Packaging prays that this Court enter judgment as
follows:
A. Enjoining SMG and any of its agents, representatives and all other persons actingin concert with them from further infringing or otherwise violating Global
Printing & Packagings rights in and to the Works.
B. Directing SMG to deliver up for destruction all unauthorized copies of the Workand any derivative works based thereon pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 503.
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C. That an accounting and judgment be rendered against SMG for:(1) all profits received from the use, distribution or sale of infringing copies or
derivative works of the Work, as provided by 17 U.S.C. 504(b);
(2) all actual damages suffered by Global Printing & Packaging as a result of
SMGs copyright infringement, as provided by 17 U.S.C. 504(b);
(3) statutory damages for copyright infringement by SMG, as allowable under
17 U.S.C. 504(c), if such amounts are greater than the combined
amounts of (1) and (2) above; and
(4) an increase of statutory damages on account of SMGs knowing and
willful infringements of Global Printing & Packagings rights in and to the
Works pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 504(c)(2).
D. For an award of costs in this action, including reasonable attorneys fees andexpert fees as allowable under 17 U.S.C. 505;
E. Treble damages upon a finding of a willful and knowing violation of M.G.L. c.93A, and award Global Printing & Packagings its attorneys fees in accordance
with M.G.L. c. 93A, 11; and
F. Such other and further relief as the Court deems just, proper and equitable.
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JURY DEMAND
Global Printing & Packaging demands a trial by jury on all matters and issues triable by a
jury.
Dated: March 26, 2012 Respectfully submitted,
GENERAL PRINTING & DESIGN, INC.
d/b/a GLOBAL PRINTING &
PACKAGING,
By its attorneys,
/s/ Joshua M. DaltonJoshua M. Dalton, BBO #636402
[email protected] T. Stanley, Jr., BBO #[email protected] MCCUTCHEN LLP
One Federal StreetBoston, MA 02110-1726617.951.8000
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