Trade-Mark Cases

United States Supreme Court case
In re Trade-Mark Cases
Argued October 22, 1879,
Decided November 17, 1879,
Full case nameUnited States v. Steffens; United States v. Wittemann; United States v. Johnson
Docket no.705
Citations100 U.S. 82 (more)
25 L. Ed. 550; 1879 U.S. LEXIS 1808
Holding
The Copyright Clause of the Constitution does not give Congress power to protect or regulate trademarks.
Case opinion
MajorityMiller, joined by Clifford, Swayne, Field, Strong, Bradley, Hunt, Waite, Harlan
Laws applied
U.S. Const. Art. I, Sect. 8, Cl. 8

The Trade-Mark Cases, 100 U.S. 82 (1879), were a set of three cases consolidated into a single appeal before the United States Supreme Court, which in 1879 unanimously[1] ruled that the Copyright Clause of the Constitution gave Congress no power to protect or regulate trademarks.[2] Congress then passed the Trade Mark Act of 1881, which was based on the Commerce Clause power, and therefore passed constitutional muster.

The three cases were United States v. Steffens, United States v. Wittemann, and United States v. Johnson. Steffens and Wittemann dealt with alleged counterfeiting of marks associated with champagne, while Johnson dealt with alleged counterfeiting of a mark associated with whiskey.

The opinion was written by Justice Samuel Freeman Miller.

The Court did not exclude all possibility of Congress regulating trademarks. Congress, however, read the decision very strictly and in a new trademark law enacted in 1881 regulated only trademarks used in commerce with foreign nations, and with the Indian tribes, areas specified under the Commerce Clause. It was not until 1905 that Congress would again enact a trademark law generally governing marks in use in the United States, though the 1905 act was also carefully worded to fall within the Commerce Clause.

References

  1. ^ "TRADE-MARK CASES.; UNITED STATES v. STEFFENS". The Supreme Court Database. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  2. ^ Trade-Mark Cases, 100 U.S. 82 (1879).

External links

  • Works related to Trade-Mark Cases at Wikisource
  • Text of Trade-Mark Casess, 100 U.S. 82 (1879) is available from: CourtListener  Findlaw  Google Scholar  Justia  Library of Congress  OpenJurist 
  • v
  • t
  • e
U.S. Supreme Court Article I case law
Enumeration Clause of Section II
Qualifications Clauses of Sections II and III
Elections Clause of Section IV
Origination Clause of Section VII
Presentment Clause of Section VII
Commerce Clause of Section VIII
Dormant Commerce Clause
Others
Coinage Clause of Section VIII
Legal Tender Cases
Copyright Act of 1790
Patent Act of 1793
Patent infringement case law
Patentability case law
Copyright Act of 1831
Copyright Act of 1870
Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890
International Copyright Act of 1891
Copyright Act of 1909
Patent misuse case law
Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914
Lanham Act
Copyright Act of 1976
Other copyright cases
Other patent cases
Other trademark cases
Habeas corpus Suspension Clause of Section IX
No Bills of Attainder or Ex post facto Laws Clause of Section IX
Contract Clause of Section X
Legal Tender Cases
Others
Compact Clause of Section X
  • v
  • t
  • e
Statutes
Pre-1976
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Precedents
and rulings
Supreme Court
Appeals courts
Lower courts


Stub icon

This article related to the Supreme Court of the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e