Studios Beware: The Danger of the Beauty and the Beast Copyright Decision
Oct 10, 2025
18:47
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Disney faced a copyright lawsuit over the use of MOVA facial-capture software in Beauty and the Beast. A jury found Disney vicariously liable, the district court threw out the verdict, but the Ninth Circuit has now reinstated it. In this episode of The Briefing, Scott Hervey and Tara Sattler discuss:
● The facts behind Disney’s use of VFX vendor DD3 and the disputed MOVA software
● Why the district court found no “practical ability” for Disney to control its vendor
● How the Ninth Circuit reversed, emphasizing Disney’s contractual rights, on-set presence, and red-flag evidence
● What this means for studios and production companies managing VFX vendors
The Briefing by Weintraub Tobin 
Disney faced a copyright lawsuit over the use of MOVA facial-capture software in Beauty and the Beast. A jury found Disney vicariously liable, the district court threw out the verdict, but the Ninth Circuit has now reinstated it. In this episode of The Briefing,