Intellectual Property News and Reports

Sublicensee to an agreement allowing reproductions of the Vatican library collection brought action against the licensee, the licensee’s president, and the Vatican State, alleging breach of contract and related torts. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Mauskopf, J.) dismissed the claims against the Vatican State based on forum selection clauses contained in sublicense agreements. We hold the Vatican State may invoke the forum selection clauses in the sublicense agreements because the licensee and the Vatican State were “closely related” parties and it was foreseeable that the Vatican State would enforce the forum selection clauses. Accordingly, the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.

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