9th Circuit: ‘Hatchet Wielding’ Man’s Copyright Claims Fail, Not Defamation Claim

( February 10, 2026, 12:56 PM EST) -- SAN FRANCISCO — A Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel largely affirmed the dismissal of a sprawling pro se complaint brought by the subject of a documentary titled “The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker,” agreeing with a California federal judge’s finding that the man’s copyright claims failed but also finding that he narrowly established a defamation claim against one defendant-appellee for potentially fabricated claims made in the documentary....