Malibu Media, LLC v.Matthew Taglialavore

Background

Malibu Media LLC brought a copyright-infringement action under the Copyright Act of 1976. On July 8, 2019, the court entered a default judgment against Matthew Taglialavore. A default judgment is a judgment entered when a defendant does not defend the case; the opinion does not describe the underlying infringement findings in detail.

The court referred the remaining questions about damages, attorney’s fees, costs, and interest to Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang for an inquest. Judge Wang issued a Report and Recommendation on September 28, 2022. She recommended $9,000 in compensatory damages, $757 in costs, and a permanent injunction barring Taglialavore and anyone acting in concert with him from continuing to infringe Malibu Media’s copyrighted works. The parties filed no objections.

Standard of Review

When no objections are filed to a magistrate judge’s report, the district court reviews the report for clear error. Under that standard, the court reverses a finding only when it has a definite and firm conviction that a mistake was made.

Ruling

Judge Daniels found no error, clear or otherwise, in Judge Wang’s analysis and adopted the recommended judgment in full. The court entered final judgment ordering Taglialavore to pay Malibu Media $9,000 in compensatory damages and $757 in costs. It also permanently enjoined Taglialavore from continuing to infringe Malibu Media’s copyrighted works. The Clerk of Court was directed to close the action.