Dino Castings Dispute Ends; Key Issue Unresolved

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A federal lawsuit in Montana over bone castings from three well-known Tyrannosaurus rex specimens has been settled for largely undisclosed terms.

The settlement leaves unanswered the question of whether fossil renderings can be copyright protected as "original" works of art.

A hearing in the case scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled by U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon.

The dispute pitted South Dakota-based Black Hills Institute of Geological Research against a Montana nonprofit that allegedly made unauthorized copies of castings from two T-rexes, dubbed Stan and Sue.

Fort Peck Paleontology, Inc. allegedly used the castings to fill out incomplete portions of a third Tyrannosaurus rex, known as Peck's Rex, and sell replicas.

Attorney Antoinette Tease said Monday that Fort Peck Paleontology is likely to be dissolved.