No. 22-1078October Term 2023Decided May 9, 2024
Warner Chappell Music, Inc. v. Nealy
The Supreme Court held that the Copyright Act entitles a copyright owner to obtain monetary relief for any timely infringement claim, regardless of when the infringement occurred.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released May 9, 2024
- What it's about
The Supreme Court held that the Copyright Act entitles a copyright owner to obtain monetary relief for any timely infringement claim, regardless of when the infringement occurred. This decision clarifies that there is no separate three-year time limit on recovering damages if a claim is otherwise timely under the "discovery rule."
Question presented
Under the discovery accrual rule applied by the circuit courts and the Copyright Act’s statute of limitations for civil actions, 17 U.S.C. § 507(b), may a copyright plaintiff recover damages for acts that allegedly occurred more than three years before the filing of a lawsuit?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit / Decision released May 9, 2024
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Documents
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Mar 30, 2026
- Method
- Methodology