What may have seemed like a small infringement to some has not resulted in a small award. In June 2006, in the suit of Graham Co. v. Haughey, the jury concluded that Haughey, a former employee of the plaintiff, had taken two company manuals to his new employer, USI MidAtlantic Inc. USI MidAtlantic, ignoring the copyright notice, had then included material from the manuals in its own sales proposals. The jury also heard evidence that after the initial filing of the suit, USI shredded between 12 and 20 boxes of financial records. An almost $18.9 million award was entered in the case. Upon remand from the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Harvey Bartle III, the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, has reinstated the initial $18.9 million award.
To read more about the case visit the Law.com article.
