Page:ASTM v. PRO (D.D.C. 2022).pdf/95

 #* First Factor : There is no indication that Defendant stands to profit from republishing this standard; Defendant’s apparent purpose is to inform the public about the law and facilitate public debate. See ASTM, 896 F.3d at 449; Def’s 2d Mot. at 16. Defendant’s “attempt to freely distribute standards incorporated by reference into law qualifie[s] as a use that further[s] the purposes of the fair use defense.” ASTM, 896 F.3d at 449. Further, the incorporated standard provides information essential for a private entity to comprehend its legal duties, which weighs heavily in favor of permitting Defendant’s reproduction. See ASTM, 896 F.3d at 450.
 * 1) * Second Factor : The “express text of the law falls plainly outside the realm of copyright protection.” ASTM, 896 F.3d at 451. Here, the standard is incorporated into law without limitation such that “the consequence of the incorporation by reference is virtually indistinguishable from a situation in which the standard had been expressly copied into law.” Id. at 452. Accordingly, “this factor weighs heavily in favor of fair use.” Id.
 * 2) * Third Factor : The incorporating regulation does not specify that only certain provisions of this standard are incorporated by reference into law, nor does it indicate which specific provisions of the standard are relevant for regulatory compliance, suggesting that “a greater amount of the standard’s text might be fairly reproduced.” Id.
 * 3) * Fourth Factor : Defendant’s reproductions have not had a “substantially adverse impact on the potential market for the originals,” nor have Plaintiffs shown by a preponderance of the evidence that there is a meaningful likelihood of future harm.” Memo Op. at 30–36 (internal quotation and citation marks omitted).
 * 4) * Conclusion : Defendant may fairly reproduce this incorporated standard in its entirety.
 * 5) ASTM B122/B122M (1995):
 * 6) *The parties identify 46 C.F.R. § 58.03-1 (2011) as the incorporating by reference regulation, see Becker Decl. ¶ 57, Ex. 90; Wise Decl., Ex. 176, which incorporates the standard into 46 C.F.R. § 58.50-5. Section 58.50-5 requires that copper-nickel gasoline fuel tanks be constructed in accordance with the minimum thickness requirements set forth in ASTM B122 (1995). Section 58.50-5 also provides the applicable thickness requirements. See 46 C.F.R. § 58.50-5(a)(2), Table 1.
 * 7) * First Factor : There is no indication that Defendant stands to profit from republishing this standard; Defendant’s apparent purpose is to inform the public about the law and facilitate public debate. See ASTM, 896 F.3d at 449; Def’s 2d Mot. at 16. Defendant’s “attempt to freely distribute standards incorporated by reference into law qualifie[s] as a use that further[s] the purposes of the fair use defense.” ASTM, 896 F.3d at 449. However, the court finds that the incorporated standard does not provide information essential for a private entity to comprehend its legal duties, but rather is incorporated as a reference procedure, given that the regulation provides the applicable thickness requirements. Accordingly, “while knowing the content of this incorporated standard might help inform one’s understanding of the law,” it “is not essential to complying with any legal duty,” and thus, Defendant’s use is less transformative and “its wholesale copying, in turn, less justified.” ASTM, 896 F.3d at 450.
 * 8) * Second Factor : The “express text of the law falls plainly outside the realm of copyright