In 2009 pro se plaintiff Susan Hassett sued Elisabeth Hasselbeck, her publisher, and a John Doe ghostwriter, for copyright infringement stemming from Hassett’s book, Living with Celiac Disease, which she alleged she sent to Hasselbeck and was copied by Hasselbeck and the ghost writer when they wrote The G Free Diet. In December 2010 Chief Judge Wolf granted summary judgment to the defendants noting that ny similarities between the books are those of ideas, facts, and other unprotectable elements.
The First Circuit has affirmed that decision. The First Circuit also dismissed two other claims on appeal, one that she was denied a full opportunity to present her case at summary judgment, the other that the court erred when it failed to appoint her counsel. The latter was denied because she failed to show indigency or other exceptional circumstances.
Hassett v. Hasselbeck, 11-1111 (First Circuit Nov. 7, 2011)
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