







https://theningerkiller.blogspot.com/2025/
The civil legal case Aguiar v. Webb et al. (Case No. 1:07-cv-11673-MLW), filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in 2007, was a copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit related to a documentary film.
Case Details
Plaintiff: William V. Aguiar III (and later the Black Dragon Fighting Society).
Defendants: Floyd Webb (a documentary filmmaker), Barron Shepherd, Wendy Shepherd, and Ashida Kim (aka Christopher Hunter, aka Radford Davis).
Subject: The plaintiff, who claimed to be the heir to the intellectual property and legacy of the legendary martial artist "Count Dante" (John Keehan), sued the defendants for the unauthorized use of his copyrighted works to promote a documentary film called The Search for Count Dante.
Barron Shepherd's Role: Barron Shepherd and his wife, Wendy Shepherd, were co-defendants who filed a motion to dismiss the claims against them for lack of personal jurisdiction and failure to state a claim.
Outcome: The main case involved several motions, including a denied motion for a preliminary injunction by Aguiar against Webb based on a fair use defense. The case was eventually dismissed after the parties reached a settlement, allowing Webb's film to proceed.
The lawsuit centered on intellectual property rights within the martial arts community.


