12-1315 Petrella v Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Inc - Supreme Court case

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Paula Petrella is the daughter of Frank Petrella, who wrote works that later formed the basis for the film Raging Bull. After renewing and inheriting her father’s copyright interests, she sued Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for copyright infringement, claiming that MGM continued to exploit the film and related works without proper authorization. MGM responded that she had waited too long to sue and that the doctrine of laches should bar her claims because of the long delay. The case centered on the interaction between copyright law’s statute of limitations and equitable defenses. The legal question was whether laches can defeat a copyright infringement claim that is filed within the Copyright Act’s three-year limitations period, particularly where the plaintiff delayed for many years before bringing suit over an ongoing course of exploitation.