Copyright lawsuit costs
Rimini Street v. Oracle USA
In brief
The Supreme Court limited copyright-law “full costs” to costs listed in federal law, overturned part of the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, and sent the case back.
- Where it stands
- Decided
Decided 9-0 · March 4, 2019 · Opinion by Justice Kavanaugh
- What it’s about
- In Rimini Street’s copyright case against Oracle, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that “full costs” means only costs listed in federal law, not extra litigation expenses.
- Who it affects
- A party that wins a Copyright Act case may recover only costs authorized by federal statutes §§ 1821 and 1920.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
It overturned the Ninth Circuit’s ruling on those extra costs in part and sent the case back to the lower court (remanded).
The dispute centered on what “full costs” means in the Copyright Act’s rule for awarding litigation costs to the party that wins.
Question presented
Whether the Copyright Act's allowance of "full costs" (17 U.S.C. § 505) to a prevailing party is limited to taxable costs under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1920 and 1821, as the Eighth and Eleventh Circuits have held, or also authorizes non-taxable costs, as the Ninth Circuit holds.
What the Court decided
Holding
The term “full costs” in §505 of the Copyright Act means the costs specified in the general costs statute codified at §§1821 and 1920. 879 F. 3d 948, reversed in part and remanded.
- Result
- Reversed
The Court's reasoning
The Court read “full costs” in the Copyright Act as covering only costs listed in federal cost statutes §§ 1821 and 1920.
The vote
What's next
The case returns to the Ninth Circuit for further proceedings under the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
AI analysis generated: Decision Record
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata
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Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.