Latest news with #BobWoodward
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge Dismisses Donald Trump's Lawsuit Against Bob Woodward, Simon & Schuster And Paramount Global
A federal judge tossed out Donald Trump's lawsuit against Bob Woodward, Simon & Schuster and Paramount Global over the legendary investigative journalist's use of his recordings of interviews with the president for an audiobook. In his 2023 lawsuit, Trump had claimed that he had a copyright and contract interest in the audio recordings, interviews which were initially used in Woodward's book Rage, a bombshell that was published in 2020. The audiobook, The Trump Tapes, was released in 2022. More from Deadline Donald Trump Files Suit Against Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones Over Wall Street Journal's Jeffrey Epstein Story Adam Schiff Talks Of Donald Trump's "Climate Of Fear" In 'Late Show' Guest Appearance; Senate Democrats Raise Questions Of CBS Cancellation - Update Late-Night TV Is On The Precipice After CBS Axes Stephen Colbert; Insiders Lament "End Of An Era" U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe ruled, among other things, that Trump's legal claim does not 'plausibly allege' that he was the joint author of The Trump Tapes or has a copyright interest in them. Trump had claimed that even though he played no role in coming up with the questions, he had a copyright interest in the responses, the judge noted. The judge wrote that 'The Supreme Court has instructed, under the Copyright Act, 'the author is the party who actually creates the work, that is, the person who translates an idea into a fixed, tangible expression entitled to copyright protection.'' Trump had cited a Feb. 28, 2023 copyright registration he obtained, where he was designated as the joint author with Woodward. But the judge wrote that 'while copyright registration may constitute prema facie evidence of ownership, where there are conflicting and adverse copyright registrations, the Copyright Office does not resolve the competing claims, and courts are called upon to make 'an independent determination of copyright ownership.' Woodward and Simon & Schuster had a copyright registration from Feb. 23, 2023. The judge will allow Trump to amend his complaint, with a deadline of Aug. 18. But he wrote that he found it 'unlikely' that Trump would be able to plead a 'plausible' copyright interest in The Trump Tapes. Paramount Global sold Simon & Schuster to KKR in 2023, but the company remained a defendant in the case. Trump went on to sue Paramount Global shortly before the 2024 election, over the way that CBS News' 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris. Paramount Global reached a $16 million settlement with Trump earlier this month, even though its attorneys had previously called the president's lawsuit without merit. The company is seeking Trump administration approval of its merger with Skydance. Best of Deadline Streamer Subscription Prices And Tiers – Everything To Know As Costs Rise And Ads Abound (Hello, Peacock) - Update 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge Dismisses Donald Trump's Lawsuit Against Bob Woodward, Simon & Schuster And Paramount Global
A federal judge tossed out Donald Trump's lawsuit against Bob Woodward, Simon & Schuster and Paramount Global over the legendary investigative journalist's use of his recordings of interviews with the president for an audiobook. Trump had claimed that he had a copyright and contract interest in the audio recordings, which formed the basis of Woodward's book Rage, a bombshell that was published in 2020. The audiobook, The Trump Tapes, was released in 2022. More from Deadline Donald Trump Files Suit Against Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones Over Wall Street Journal's Jeffrey Epstein Story Adam Schiff Talks Of Donald Trump's "Climate Of Fear" In 'Late Show' Guest Appearance; Senate Democrats Raise Questions Of CBS Cancellation - Update Late-Night TV Is On The Precipice After CBS Axes Stephen Colbert; Insiders Lament "End Of An Era" U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe ruled, among other things, that Trump's legal claim does not 'plausibly allege' that he was the joint author of The Trump Tapes or has a copyright interest in them. Trump had claimed that even though he played no role in coming up with the questions, he had a copyright interest in the responses, the judge noted. The judge wrote that 'The Supreme Court has instructed, under the Copyright Act, 'the author is the party who actually creates the work, that is, the person who translates an idea into a fixed, tangible expression entitled to copyright protection.'' Trump had cited a Feb. 28, 2023 copyright registration he obtained, where he was designated as the joint author with Woodward. But the judge wrote that 'while copyright registration may constitute prema facie evidence of ownership, where there are conflicting and adverse copyright registrations, the Copyright Office does not resolve the competing claims, and courts are called upon to make 'an independent determination of copyright ownership.' Woodward and Simon & Schuster had a copyright registration from Feb. 23, 2023. The judge will allow Trump to amend his complaint, with a deadline of Aug. 18. But he wrote that he found it 'unlikely' that Trump would be able to plead a 'plausible' copyright interest in The Trump Tapes. Paramount Global sold Simon & Schuster to KKR in 2023, but the company remained a defendant in the case. Trump went on to sue Paramount Global shortly before the 2024 election, over the way that CBS News' 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris. Paramount Global reached a $16 million settlement with Trump earlier this month, even though its attorneys had previously called the president's lawsuit without merit. The company is seeking Trump administration approval of its merger with Skydance. Best of Deadline Streamer Subscription Prices And Tiers – Everything To Know As Costs Rise And Ads Abound (Hello, Peacock) - Update 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump lawsuit against Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward dismissed
A federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump that attempted to sue Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward for publishing interviews during his first administration in an October 2022 audiobook called 'The Trump Tapes.' According to the court filing, Trump did not demonstrate that he and Woodward intended to be co-authors or that Trump had any copyright interest in his on-the-record responses during the interviews with Woodward. Trump's amended complaint 'does not plausibly allege that Woodward and Trump intended to be joint authors of The Trump Tapes,' U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe for the Southern District of New York wrote. The suit also named Woodward's publisher, Simon & Schuster, and its former parent company, Paramount Global, as defendants. The judge, however, gave Trump the chance to amend and refile his complaint by Aug. 18, though he said it appears 'unlikely' that Trump could 'adequately plead a plausible copyright interest.' The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Lawyers for Woodward did not respond to a request for comment. Woodward, a longtime investigative journalist and a lead reporter who uncovered the Watergate scandal at The Post, had conducted several interviews and audio recordings with Trump during the final year of his first term. The recordings were the foundation of his book 'Rage,' his second book in a trilogy on Trump's presidency, and published in September 2021. The print telling unveiled Trump's responses to several crises, including his impeachment trial, his efforts to downplay the severity of the deadly coronavirus pandemic and escalating tensions with North Korea. Those interviews served as the basis for the audiobook. In 2023, Trump sued Woodward for almost $50 million, claiming in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida that he owned the copyright to the 20 interviews and that they were recorded 'for the sole purpose of Woodward being able to write a single book.' Lawyers for Woodward and the publishing company have long rejected Trump's assertion, and in a joint statement in 2023, argued the suit was 'without merit.'
Bloomberg
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Trump Suit Over Bob Woodward's Recordings Dismissed for Now
A federal judge in Manhattan has dismissed a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump against journalist Bob Woodward and a publishing house over the release of interview recordings from his first term in office. US District Judge Paul Gardephe ruled on Friday that Trump failed to 'plausibly' claim that he and Woodward intended to be co-authors or that Trump had a copyright interest in his answers to Woodward's questions. Trump's decision to submit a copyright registration later couldn't save his case, the judge held.
The Independent
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump's lawsuit against Bob Woodward over audiobook is dismissed
A federal judge has dismissed President Donald Trump's civil suit against journalist Bob Woodward over his audiobook. The president sued Woodward, publisher Simon and Schuster, and its former owner Paramount Global in January 2023, claiming he was a joint author and had a copyright interest in the interviews that were used for Woodward's 2022 audiobook The Trump Tapes. Judge Paul G. Gardephe granted Woodward's motion to dismiss the president's lawsuit on Friday. Trump's second amended complaint, filed in April 2023, 'does not plausibly allege that the parties 'fully intended to be co-authors' of a joint work,' the judge wrote. The president had argued his interviews with Woodward 'were not provided in the scope of President Trump's employment by the federal government' but were 'prepared at President Trump's own volition and outside of his official duties.' All the interviews were conducted when Trump was in office, the defendants countered, noting Trump sat for 19 interviews between December 2019 and August 2020. They added the Copyright Act 'bars government officials like President Trump from asserting any copyright in an interview conducted as part of their official duties,' meaning he fails to state an authorship claim. 'No president before Donald Trump ever claimed to own a copyright in presidential interviews or demanded royalties for their republication,' the defendants claimed. They pointed out that Woodward has written books about 10 presidents. Woodward was the 'sole architect and true author,' the journalist's lawyers wrote in a filing. Woodward, a longtime investigative journalist, who uncovered the Watergate scandal at The Washington Post, had conducted several interviews and audio recordings with Trump during the final year of his first term. Trump's team argued that when he agreed to the interviews, 'he was agreeing to be recorded for the sole purpose of Woodward being able to write a single book.' The president was referring to the book Rage, which was published in September 2020. In addition to the audio book, Woodward has penned a trilogy of the Trump presidency with his books Rage, Fear and Peril. About 20 percent of Rage stemmed from interviews with the president, Woodward's legal team argued. The judge left the door slightly ajar for Trump, giving him a chance to amend his complaint and refile it by August 18. 'While it appears unlikely that Plaintiff can adequately plead a plausible copyright interest in The Trump Tapes or any non-preempted state law claim, this Court cannot find at this stage that any amendment would be futile. Accordingly, leave to move to amend is granted,' Gardephe wrote. Trump was seeking nearly $50 million. A spokesperson for Trump's legal team told Reuters in a statement: 'In another biased action by a New York Court, this wrongful decision was issued without even affording President Trump the basic due process of a hearing. We will continue to ensure that those who commit wrongdoing against President Trump and all Americans are held accountable.' The president's legal defeat comes as he launches a fresh lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal. The paper published a story on Thursday alleging Trump sent disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein a bawdy birthday card for his 50th birthday. Trump vehemently denied the claims. 'This is not me. This is a fake thing. It's a fake Wall Street Journal story,' he told the outlet. 'I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women.' He is suing The WSJ and its owners for defamation and is seeking $10 billion.
