Tell us about your top U.S. Supreme Court or federal appeals court victory over the past year and how you and your team achieved the win.

Buddy Webster v. Dean Guitars: Although Finnegan is known for its Federal Circuit practice, we won an important copyright case for Dean Guitars and the Estate of Dimebag Darrell Abbott, celebrated heavy-metal guitarist of the band Pantera. The case concerned the disputed ownership of the lightning bolt graphic on Abbott’s “Dean from Hell” guitar. In a case of first impression, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held that, unlike ordinary copyright infringement claims, which accrue for each infringing act, a copyright claim concerning ownership accrues only once. Dean Guitars had repudiated the plaintiff’s ownership of the lightning graphic in 2007, making the claims time-barred.

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