Mary E. Hining sues Rebecca L. Gregg for copyright infringement of artwork sold on Etsy.com

Indianapolis, IN – Last week Mary E. Hining, Pro Se, of Durham, NC filed a copyright infringement suit against Rebecca L. Gregg of Indianapolis in the Southern District of Indiana. Ms. Hining alleges that Ms. Gregg sold painted glassware on Etsy.com, a website where artists offer their work for sale, in violation of 17 U.S.C. § 501. Ms. Hining owns Copyright Registration No. VA0001718592, which copyrighted work HAND-PAINTED GLASSWARE DESIGNED BY MARYWIBIS ALSO KNOWN AS MARYELIZABETHARTS. The copyright is registered by the US Copyright Office.

Ms. Hining creates and sells champagne tasting glasses with hand painted leaves and branches of various types of trees on Etsy.com under the name marywibis. She has copyrighted her work and registered the copyright with the US Copyright Office. In the complaint, which Ms. Hining filed on her own and with out the assistance of a copyright attorney, Ms. Hining alleges that Ms. Gregg offers for sale on Etsy.com glasses that are virtually identical and that infringe upon Ms. Hining’s copyright. Ms. Gregg offers the glasses under the name gnome292. Ms. Hining is seeking an injunction and damages.

This case has been assigned to Judge Tanya Walton Pratt and Magistrate Judge Debra McVicker Lynch in the Southern District of Indiana, and assigned case no. 1:11-cv-0026-TWP-DML.

Practice Tip: The plaintiff here has filed the copyright infringement lawsuit pro se, meaning she is not represented by an attorney. It is not required that a plaintiff have an attorney before filing a lawsuit. The Southern District Court of Indianahas several resources for pro se litigants on its website.Complaint – Hining v. Gregg

Further information on this case is as follows:

Filed: February 18, 2011 as 1:2011cv00261 Updated: February 25, 2011 03:36:58

Plaintiff: MARY E. HINING

Defendant: REBECCA L. GREGG

Presiding Judge: Tanya Walton Pratt

Referring Judge: Debra McVicker Lynch

Cause Of Action: Copyright Infringement

Court: Seventh Circuit > Indiana > Southern District Court