H. Michael Brucker, Oakland, Cal., for Landsberg.
Walter D. Ames, Watson, Cole, Grindle & Watson, Washington, D.C., for defendants-appellants.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Before GOODWIN, TANG and FLETCHER, Circuit Judges.
GOODWIN, Circuit Judge:
Mark Landsberg recovered judgments of copyright infringement under California and federal law. Defendants appeal.
I. FACTS
Landsberg developed a systematic strategy for playing Scrabble and became the acknowledged Scrabble champion of Southern California. He committed his system to writing in a manuscript entitled “Championship Scrabble Strategy.” In 1972 Landsberg took steps to publish the manuscript and requested permission to use the word “Scrabble” from Selchow and Righter (S & R), owner of the Scrabble trademark and producer of Scrabble brand crossword games. S & R requested that Landsberg send a copy of his manuscript to them for evaluation, and he did so.