Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Loew's Inc.
356 U.S. 43 · Decided March 17, 1958 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Loew's Inc. was decided on March 17, 1958 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Copyrights” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 356 U.S. 43 · 78 S. Ct. 667 · 2 L. Ed. 2d 583 · 1958 U.S. LEXIS 1355
- Docket number
- 90
- Decided
- March 17, 1958
- Argued
- January 29, 1958
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Copyrights
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc., et al. v. Loew's Inc. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1957-069, docket 1957-069-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Copyrights”
- De Sylva v. Ballentine
- Miller Music Corp. v. Charles N. Daniels, Inc.
- Public Affairs Associates, Inc. v. Rickover
- Mazer v. Stein
- F. W. Woolworth Co. v. Contemporary Arts, Inc.
- Fortnightly Corp. v. United Artists Television, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gibson v. Thompson
- Palermo v. Luckenbach Steamship Co., Inc.
- Black v. Magnolia Liquor Co., Inc.
- Stinson v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co.
- Schaffer Transportation Co. v. United States
- American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. United States
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