9th Circuit: Judge Should Have Considered Merits Of New Copyright Trial Motion

( April 23, 2026, 2:14 PM EDT) -- SAN FRANCISCO — A Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel ruled April 22 that a California federal judge too rigidly applied local rules when denying a new trial motion from defendant entities found liable for willful copyright infringement through their distribution of DVDs of a Christian film; the panel’s opinion resolves three consolidated appeals from the case....