HSW Helps Secure Major Victory for Post University in Copyright Infringement Suit Against Learneo
September 25, 2025
In a milestone decision for copyright holders, a federal court has allowed Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler LLP's client, Post University, to present its claims against Learneo Inc. to a jury.
The Sept. 23 ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut denied Learneo’s motion for summary judgment on all substantive claims, including trademark infringement, violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and the Lanham Act. A separate pretrial evidentiary decision also denied Learneo’s motion to exclude Post University’s consumer confusion survey expert.
This is the latest win for HSW and its co-counsel Getz Balich LLP on behalf of Post University. In January 2024, the firms secured a favorable discovery ruling providing access to crucial evidence.
Learneo (formerly known as Course Hero) is an online platform that helps students upload and download course materials. Post University has accused Learneo of direct, contributory and vicarious copyright infringement, DMCA violations and trademark infringement by encouraging its users to upload and download unauthorized copies of its course materials, exams and other university-owned educational materials, and hiding those materials behind a paywall to prevent copyright holders from policing their work.
In denying Learneo’s motion for summary judgment, the court found that Post University has raised genuine issues of fact as to whether Learneo acted with the requisite state of mind under the DMCA, requiring Post’s claims to be decided by a jury.
The court’s evidentiary decision will allow Post University to present consumer confusion surveys conducted by a recognized authority in marketing research during trial. The lawsuit alleges these surveys show Learneo users are misled into believing Post’s documents were authored by Learneo because they featured Learneo logos, watermarks and branding.
“We are grateful to the court for understanding the very real harm Learneo has caused our client,” said HSW partner Yonaton Aronoff, counsel for Post University, along with Timothy Johnson of Getz Balich. “This case raises crucial issues for every copyright owner in the United States, and we look forward to presenting these important issues to a Connecticut jury in early 2026.”
In addition to Aronoff, the HSW team representing Post University includes partner Alisha McCarthy, counsel Jaclyn Newman and associate Ashley Robinson.