Most lawyers believe that Gross could have won hefty damages in court if he'd sued at the time. But the law has evolved in recent years to make it harder for plaintiffs in such cases to prevail. For this, would-be infringers can thank the super-bawdy rappers of 2 Live Crew. The copyright owners of Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" sued the Crew over their version of the song, which the Crew—or its lawyers, specifically—claimed was a parody and therefore legally protected. The Supreme Court agreed and in 1994 ruled, for the first time and unanimously, that a parody can be exonerated under the "fair use" doctrine, even if it earns a bundle of money.