Close Up International Ltd. v. 1444943 Ontario Ltd., Part 2

This action is one of a number of actions commenced by Close Up International Ltd. (“CUI”), a U.S. company, for infringement of its copyright in films. The plaintiff alleges that the defendants unlawfully reproduced, sold, rented and distributed its films without licence from the plaintiff. This is a motion by the plaintiff to amend the statement of claim by adding as parties two Canadian companies, Close Up Holdings Canada Incorporated, a federally incorporated company resident in Ontario (“CUC”) and Close Up Canada Inc., an Ontario incorporated and resident company (“CUO”), that had received by way of assignment from CUI certain distribution and other rights in Canada, (referred to jointly as the “Ontario Companies”) as well as three Russian companies, two that produced the films and one that had worldwide rights to reproduce and distribute the copyrighted films.