Hans Gruber and the Federal Circuit

Yes, that Hans Gruber. 

A panel of the Federal Circuit was trying to evaluate the construction of the term “bearer instrument” in a recent oral argument.  Counsel for the defendant-appellee was explaining that, with respect to bearer instruments, title passes by delivery  without endorsement.  As an illustration, he used the example of Hans Gruber trying to steal bearer bonds in the movie Die Hard.  [Listen].  While the analogy resonated with me, I couldn’t tell from the recording if it did with the panel.   As it turns out, Hans Gruber is a very well-known character.  He is the 46th most notorious villain in the last 100 years of the movies, according to the American Film Institute.

You can listen to the entire oral argument in Privacash, Inc. v. American Express Co. et al. [here].

You can read the court’s opinion [here].

Comments are closed.