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Dinosaur dispute case sent to settlement talks
November 5, 2011
BILLINGS, Montana: U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon has ordered settlement talks for a copyright infringement lawsuit involving tyrannosaurus rex bone castings. A Montana nonprofit organization is being sued by a South Dakota research company for allegedly making unauthorized copies of castings. Attorneys are saying this case is the first of its kind, where Dinosaur bone castings, typically used in fossil museum displays, have made their way into the court room.[1]
The Black Hills Institute of Geological Research is seeking $7.4 million in damages from Fort Peck Paleontology, Inc. The Black Hills Institute claims Fort Peck Paleontology profited from using the castings to fill out incomplete portions of a t-rex and selling the replicas. The attorney for Fort Peck Paleontology says her client made "negligible profits" off the castings and offered to return them but was turned down.[1]
Both sides are hoping that a resolution can be reached in the coming settlement talks. The talks will be overseen by U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Strong and are expected to convene in January 2012.[1]
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