Ars Logica sues RWS over Tridion Docs research reports displayed after licenses expired and a restyled scorecard graphic

What was filed

The complaint is Document 1 in No. 1:26-cv-14666, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, filed October 14, 2026 (21 pages). The plaintiff is Ars Logica, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation based in Boston that the complaint describes as a technology-research firm producing evaluations of enterprise software, including component content management systems. The defendants are RWS Holdings PLC, a United Kingdom public limited company that the complaint says maintains a place of business in Wakefield, Massachusetts, and SDL Inc, a Delaware corporation based in Wakefield that the complaint describes as an affiliate or wholly owned subsidiary of RWS Holdings PLC. Counsel for Ars Logica is Cohan Plaut Rajsich LLP of Boston. Ars Logica demands a jury trial. (Compl. pp. 1 to 2, 21.)

The works and the licenses

The works are three Ars Logica research reports: the Compass Guide to Component Content Management Systems Q4 2021 - Evaluation of RWS Tridion Docs, first published October 28, 2021; the Consolidated Vendor Scorecard from the same series, first published October 28, 2021; and the Compass Guide Q3 2024 - Evaluation of RWS Tridion Docs, first published August 1, 2024. The complaint cites Registration Nos. TX 9-617-073 (effective July 16, 2026), TX 9-616-836 (effective July 15, 2026), and TX 9-617-074 (effective July 15, 2026). (Compl. paras. 7, 10 to 12; pp. 3 to 4.)

It alleges a November 28, 2022 purchase agreement gave RWS a six-month electronic reprint license to post the 2021 guide from November 1, 2022 through April 30, 2023, with matching rights for the scorecard, for $6,422.50, on conditions that the report be displayed in its entirety and original format with the Ars Logica copyright notice and logo, and that no one charge third parties for access. Three later agreements covered the 2021 guide and scorecard through December 31, 2023, and the 2024 guide from August 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025, the last for a prorated $2,676.00. (Compl. paras. 13 to 16; pp. 3 to 5.)

What the complaint alleges

The complaint alleges that RWS kept displaying the works and offering them for download on its website after the licenses ended, including on a "tridion-docs-best-ccms" landing page: the scorecard continuously since January 1, 2024, the 2021 guide for parts of 2024 and since January 1, 2026, and the 2024 guide from January 1 through April 3, 2026. It alleges Ars Logica demanded removal of the 2024 guide on January 5, 2026, and that RWS sent the 2024 guide and the scorecard infographic in a marketing email on or about March 17, 2026. (Compl. paras. 17 to 19, 24 to 25, 29; pp. 5 to 8.)

It also alleges that starting on or about May 12, 2026, RWS published web pages with a version of the scorecard infographic that RWS called a "Tridion-stylized Ars Logica graphic," restyled to RWS branding but keeping the same axis names, axis scaling, section names, and placement of vendors, with the Ars Logica logo watermark and the "Source: Ars Logica, Inc." attribution removed. It points to image file names that refer to Ars Logica. It alleges damages and RWS profits of not less than $8,959,808 as of October 14, 2026. (Compl. paras. 30 to 35, 37; pp. 8 to 10.)

Counts and relief

Count I alleges copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C. 501 by continued display and distribution after the licenses expired, and seeks actual damages and profits under 17 U.S.C. 504(b), an injunction under 17 U.S.C. 502, and fees under 17 U.S.C. 505. Count II alleges breach of the license agreements. Count III alleges unfair and deceptive practices under M.G.L. c. 93A, sections 2 and 11, which the complaint says do not depend on copyright ownership, including that RWS kept a $9,131.34 fee discount tied to not displaying the scorecard while continuing to display it, and has not paid a $10,593.44 demand. Count IV alleges preparation of unauthorized derivative works under 17 U.S.C. 106(2) and 501. Count V alleges removal and alteration of copyright management information under 17 U.S.C. 1202(b)(1) and (b)(3), seeking actual damages and profits or statutory damages of $2,500 to $25,000 per violation under 17 U.S.C. 1203. (Compl. paras. 38 to 83; pp. 10 to 19.)

The prayer also asks for preliminary and permanent injunctions under 17 U.S.C. 502 and 1203(b), removal and destruction of copies under 17 U.S.C. 503 and 1203(b), and treble damages, fees, and costs under M.G.L. c. 93A. (Compl. pp. 19 to 20.)