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CopyrightX AUC: The Economics of Copyright and Creativity 2015
Resource 1 . 3
less than a minute

Mazney v. Ramzy (1943)

Nagham El Houssamy,
Prof. William T. Fisher III

A writer named Mazney published a short fiction story in a magazine about two lovers. In his story there are two lovers, a man and a woman. To their surprise, they find out that they are actually siblings and decide not to marry. Before discovering their relation, the couple planned to get married. The story takes a turn and it is soon revealed that the lovers are not related. In the end, they get married.

A man named Ramzy produced a film based on a similar story that he allegedly wrote. Ramzy is the owner of a film production company. 

Upon viewing Ramzy’s film, Mazney filed a copyright complaint. Mazney then claimed that he created the story and that Ramzy used the story without permission.

The court ruled that Mazney’s story was not original. The ruling says that the idea behind the story is a theme and it is therefore not original. The court also states that it is mere coincidence that the magazine article and the film tell the same story of the two lovers, and that ideas are not protected. Copyright has to extend beyond the mere idea of a creative story.

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