In post-trial motions, Magistrate Judge Jarvey overturns jury’s verdict awarding $570,000 of Audi profits to the plantiffs, Brian Andreas, Storypeople, Inc., and Storypeople Graphics of Decorah, Iowa, leaving $395,000 of the original verdict remaining.

Audi sought to overturn the award of any profits on the cars sold by Audi on the basis of lack of proof. “Judge Jarvey's ruling recognizes the high burden of proof required where a copyright owner seeks ‘indirect damages’, that is damage for sale of something other than the copyrighted work,” commented Edmund Sease, one of the defendants’ attorneys.

On December 5, 2001, the jury returned a verdict finding for the plaintiff and awarded $115,000 in actual damages, $570,000 of Audi profits, and $280,000 against Audi's advertising agency, McKinney & Silver of North Carolina.

Since November 27, 2001, Edmund Sease and Jeffrey Harty, attorneys of McKee, Voorhees & Sease, along with the New York firm of Davis & Gilbert represented Volkswagen of America, Audi of America and McKinney & Silver, in a copyright jury trial in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. The plaintiffs, Brian Andreas, Storypeople, Inc., and Storypeople Graphics, of Decorah, Iowa, sought a multi-million dollar verdict for improper use of two lines of verse used in a national Audi TT commercial.

McKee, Voorhees & Sease is an intellectual property law firm working for clients throughout the United States and in over 80 countries abroad. The law firm was established in the 1920’s and is located in Des Moines, Iowa.