| Eltra Corporation v. Barbara A. Ringer | |
|---|---|
| United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit | |
| Argued June 14, 1978 Decided June 14, 1978 |
|
| Full case name | Eltra Corp. v. Barbara A. Ringer, International Typographic Composition Association and Advertising Typographers Association of America, Inc. |
| Citations | 579 F.2d 294 |
| Prior history | Appeal from The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.. |
| Holding | |
| Found that typefaces were not protectable expression. | |
| Panel membership | |
| Harrison Lee Winter, Donald S. Russell, Hiram Emory Widener, Jr. | |
| Case opinions | |
Eltra Corp. v. Ringer was a case in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit which determined that typefaces were not eligible for protection under U.S. copyright law. The United States Copyright Office had refused to register a typeface design owned by Eltra Corporation, who filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The district court held that the design submitted did not qualify as a "work of art" under the 1909 Copyright Act. The appellate court affirmed this decision.