Brulotte v. Thys Co.
379 U.S. 29 · Decided November 16, 1964 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Brulotte v. Thys Co. was decided on November 16, 1964 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Patents” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 379 U.S. 29 · 85 S. Ct. 176 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 99 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 2379
- Docket number
- 20
- Decided
- November 16, 1964
- Argued
- October 20, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Patents
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 35 U.S.C. § 154
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Brulotte et al. v. Thys Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-002, docket 1964-002-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Patents”
- Wilbur-Ellis Co. v. Kuther
- Aro Manufacturing Co., Inc. v. Convertible Top Replacement Co., Inc.
- Sears v. Stiffel CompanyLaw held unconstitutional
- Compco Corporation v. Day-Brite Lighting, Inc.
- Hazeltine Research, Inc. v. Brenner
- Graham v. John Deere Co. of Kansas City
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gillespie v. United States Steel Corp.
- King v. United States
- California v. Lo-Vaca Gathering Co.
- City of El Paso v. Simmons
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. American Trailer Rentals Co.
- Davis v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error