Fantasy Artist Roger Dean Loses Avatar Lawsuit

[Hijiri Byakuren]

I'm not so sure about that. Did you read the article? The judges opinion was self contradictory. And he just dismissed the case outright, instead of letting a jury decide the case.

If the plaintiff and defendant waive their right to a jury, then a civil law case can be overseen by the judge alone. You can't exactly blame the judge for something he didn't arrange.

[Solomon Zorn]

Is that what happened? For some reason I was under the impression that he was just deciding whether it merited going before a jury.

[Hijiri Byakuren]

Is that what happened? For some reason I was under the impression that he was just deciding whether it merited going before a jury.

No, in civil trials you always have the right to a jury. If you waive that right, you are basically agreeing to legal arbitration by the judge, which... I think is what's happening here. The article focuses so much on the argument at hand, it's hard to tell what's actually happening in the court proceedings.