Combat Sports Law

Adding to this site’s archived case summaries involving UFC pay per view event piracy, reasons for judgement were released this week by the  US District Court, C.D. California, confirming a settlement of $32,500.

There are few facts revealed in the published reasons (Joe Hand Promotions Inc. v. Asratian) with the Court simply confirming a joint request that judgement be entered against the Defendants for $32,500.

It is a safe bet that the underlying claim involved commercial piracy involving a UFC pay per view event as the majority of Joe Hand Promotions prosecutions involve such events.

It is worth noting that this settlement is higher than the trend in recent judgements where damages are frequently assessed far lower than this amount though I cannot be critical of the settlement without knowing any of the underlying facts.  For examples of recent lesser judgements you can read the below case summaries:

• $1,800 assessment for commercial piracy of UFC event
• $1,000 assessment for commercial piracy of UFC event
• $250 assessment for commercial piracy of UFC event
• $4,000 and $3,000 assessment for commercial piracy of UFC events
• $3,600 assessment for piracy of UFC event
• $1,000 assessment for commercial piracy of UFC event
• $4,800 assessment for commercial piracy of UFC event
• $10,000 assessment for commercial piracy of UFC event
• $1,200 assessment for commercial piracy of UFC event

In entering the $32,500 judgement against the Defendants District Judge William Keller provided the following brief reasons:

By and through their counsel, the Parties to the above-entitled action hereby stipulate and respectfully request that judgment in the amount of Thirty-Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($32,500.00) inclusive of attorneys’ fees and costs be entered in favor of Plaintiff Joe Hand Promotions, Inc., and against Arsen Asratian, individually and d/b/a House Of Wings; and House of Wings, LLC d/b/a House Of Wings.

The Parties, and each of them, waive any and all rights to seek a stay of enforcement of said judgment and further request that this Honorable Court enter the requested and stipulated judgment only in the event of default of the Parties’ settlement agreement and written notification of same to this Honorable Court by counsel of record.