516 U.S. 442 (1996) Cited 320 times 2 Legal Analyses
Holding that "[t]he government may not be required to compensate an owner for property which [the government] has ... lawfully acquired under the exercise of governmental authority other than the power of eminent domain"
Holding that whether trial court's "discretionary resort to estimation of statutory damages is just should be determined by taking into account ... the difficulties in the way of proof of either" actual damages or lost profits and that "[l]ack of adequate proof on either element would warrant resort to the statute in the discretion of the court."
Holding that district court has "power to construe the statutes involved to determine whether the [Secretary of the Army] did exceed his powers," and that if he did, "judicial relief from this illegality would be available"
Prohibiting statutory damages and attorney's fees if the work is not registered before infringement commences, or within three months of the work's first publication