A federal appellate court in Atlanta, in a case of first impression “that has divided our sister courts” over the Copyright Act’s statute of limitations on recovering damages beyond three years of the filing, just added to that division.

The case before the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Eleventh Circuit pits the plaintiffs-appellants Sherman Nealy and Music Specialist Inc. against the defendants-appellees, Warner Chappell Music Inc. and Artist Publishing Group LLC.