WHITEvoid GmbH v. Lux Entertainment S.p.A.
Court
District Court, N.D. California
Decided
June 27, 2025
Jurisdiction
FD
Importance
44%
Case Summary
1 2 3 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 5 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 7 WHITEVOID GMBH, et al., Case No. 3:25-cv-03720-JSC 8 Plaintiffs, ORDER CONVERTING 9 v. PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION INTO TRIAL ON THE MERITS UNDER 10 LUX ENTERTAINMENT S.P.A., et al., RULE 65(A)(2) 11 Defendants. Re: Dkt. No. 10 12 13 WHITEvoid and its founder, Christopher Bauder, bring copyright infringement, Visual 14 Artists Rights Act (VARA), and conversion claims against Lux Entertainment S.p.A., Lux 15 America Inc., and Balloon Museum USA LLC (collectively “Lux”). On the same day Plaintiffs 16 filed this action, they filed a motion for preliminary injunction seeking to enjoin Defendants from 17 further public exhibition of Plaintiffs’ Electric Moons art installation. (Dkt. No. 10.) After the 18 parties stipulated to an extended briefing schedule, the motion came before the Court for hearing 19 on June 26, 2025. For the reasons stated on the record, the Court converts the motion for a 20 preliminary injunction into a jury trial on the merits under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 21 65(a)(2). Given Defendants’ admission at oral argument that it does not intend to return the 22 Electric Moons exhibit to Plaintiffs at the conclusion of the exhibition in San Francisco, the Court 23 concludes an expedited trial is warranted and thus combines the motion for preliminary injunction 24 with trial of the matter. 25 Plaintiffs’ copyright and conversion claims turn, at least in part, on the interpretation of 26 the parties’ contract and the parties’ termination and/or breach(es) of the contract. Although both 27 parties agree the contract provides German law governs, neither party has provided the Court 1 902 F.3d 940, 949-50 (9th Cir. 2018) (stating under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 44.1 parties 2 have an “informational duty to the court” to provide “the district court with the information 3 needed to determine the meaning of the foreign law.”). Likewise, the Court cannot resolve the 4 factual questions regarding whether there has been a “modification of [Bauder’s] work which 5 would be prejudicial to his or her honor or reputation” for purposes of his VARA claim on the 6 current record without resolving these liability-related disputes of fact. See 17 U.S.C. § 7 106A(a)(3)(A). While the Court is mindful of Plaintiffs’ allegations of harm, Plaintiffs conceded 8 at oral argument that the harm alleged has been going on “for months” before this action was even 9 filed. 10 Accordingly, the Court sets a jury trial to commence on August 26, 2025. The procedures 11 governing trial are set forth in the pretrial order below. 12 *** 13 PRETRIAL ORDER 14 I. Referral to Magistrate Judge Cousins 15 The Court refers the parties to Magistrate Judge Cousins for a settlement conference at a 16 time and place to be set by Judge Cousins in consultation with the parties. 17 II. Case Management Schedule 18 The parties shall immediately meet and confer and cooperate in adopting an expedited 19 discovery schedule. For example, they should be able to agree to production of relevant written 20 documents without the need for formal discovery requests. The schedule should include the dates 21 and locations of all depositions. On or before July 9, 2025, the parties shall jointly file with the 22 Court their proposed expedited discovery plan. 23 III. Trial Date 24 A. Jury trial will begin August 26, 2025, at 8:00 a.m., in Courtroom 8, 19th Floor, 25 U.S. District Court, 450 Golden Gate, San Francisco, California. 26 B. The Court is expecting the length of the trial to not exceed 5 court days. 27 IV. Pretrial Conference 1
Case Details
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Status
Decided
Date Decided
June 27, 2025
Jurisdiction
FD
Court Type
federal
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Case Summary
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1
2
3
4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
5 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
6
7 WHITEVOID GMBH, et al., Case No. 3:25-cv-03720-JSC
8 Plaintiffs,
ORDER CONVERTING
9 v. PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION INTO
TRIAL ON THE MERITS UNDER
10 LUX ENTERTAINMENT S.P.A., et al., RULE 65(A)(2)
11 Defendants. Re: Dkt. No. 10
12
13 WHITEvoid and its founder, Christopher Bauder, bring copyright infringement, Visual
14 Artists Rights Act (VARA), and conversion claims against Lux Entertainment S.p.A., Lux
15 America Inc., and Balloon Museum USA LLC (collectively “Lux”). On the same day Plaintiffs
16 filed this action, they filed a motion for preliminary injunction seeking to enjoin Defendants from
17 further public exhibition of Plaintiffs’ Electric Moons art installation. (Dkt. No. 10.) After the
18 parties stipulated to an extended briefing schedule, the motion came before the Court for hearing
19 on June 26, 2025. For the reasons stated on the record, the Court converts the motion for a
20 preliminary injunction into a jury trial on the merits under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure
21 65(a)(2). Given Defendants’ admission at oral argument that it does not intend to return the
22 Electric Moons exhibit to Plaintiffs at the conclusion of the exhibition in San Francisco, the Court
23 concludes an expedited trial is warranted and thus combines the motion for preliminary injunction
24 with trial of the matter.
25 Plaintiffs’ copyright and conversion claims turn, at least in part, on the interpretation of
26 the parties’ contract and the parties’ termination and/or breach(es) of the contract. Although both
27 parties agree the contract provides German law governs, neither party has provided the Court
1 902 F.3d 940, 949-50 (9th Cir. 2018) (stating under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 44.1 parties
2 have an “informational duty to the court” to provide “the district court with the information
3 needed to determine the meaning of the foreign law.”). Likewise, the Court cannot resolve the
4 factual questions regarding whether there has been a “modification of [Bauder’s] work which
5 would be prejudicial to his or her honor or reputation” for purposes of his VARA claim on the
6 current record without resolving these liability-related disputes of fact. See 17 U.S.C. §
7 106A(a)(3)(A). While the Court is mindful of Plaintiffs’ allegations of harm, Plaintiffs conceded
8 at oral argument that the harm alleged has been going on “for months” before this action was even
9 filed.
10 Accordingly, the Court sets a jury trial to commence on August 26, 2025. The procedures
11 governing trial are set forth in the pretrial order below.
12 ***
13 PRETRIAL ORDER
14 I. Referral to Magistrate Judge Cousins
15 The Court refers the parties to Magistrate Judge Cousins for a settlement conference at a
16 time and place to be set by Judge Cousins in consultation with the parties.
17 II. Case Management Schedule
18 The parties shall immediately meet and confer and cooperate in adopting an expedited
19 discovery schedule. For example, they should be able to agree to production of relevant written
20 documents without the need for formal discovery requests. The schedule should include the dates
21 and locations of all depositions. On or before July 9, 2025, the parties shall jointly file with the
22 Court their proposed expedited discovery plan.
23 III. Trial Date
24 A. Jury trial will begin August 26, 2025, at 8:00 a.m., in Courtroom 8, 19th Floor,
25 U.S. District Court, 450 Golden Gate, San Francisco, California.
26 B. The Court is expecting the length of the trial to not exceed 5 court days.
27 IV. Pretrial Conference
1
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Case Details
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Status
Decided
Date Decided
June 27, 2025
Jurisdiction
FD
Court Type
federal
Legal Significance
Case importance metrics
Metadata
Additional information
Quick Actions
Case management tools