Dann v. Johnston
425 U.S. 219 · Decided March 31, 1976 · 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
Dann v. Johnston was decided on March 31, 1976 unanimously (7–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Patentability of computer processes” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 425 U.S. 219 · 96 S. Ct. 1393 · 47 L. Ed. 2d 692 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 95
- Docket number
- 74-1033
- Decided
- March 31, 1976
- Argued
- December 9, 1975
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Patentability of computer processes
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 35 U.S.C. § 103
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Did not participate: Harry A. Blackmun, John Paul Stevens.
Full case caption
Dann, Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks v. Johnston
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-069, docket 1975-069-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Patentability of computer processes”
- Parker v. Flook
- Gottschalk v. Benson
- Diamond v. Diehr
- Diamond v. Bradley
- Ebay Inc. v. Mercexchange, L. L. C.
- Microsoft Corporation v. AT&T Corp.
Cases on the same legal provision: 35 U.S.C. § 103
- Sakraida v. Ag Pro, Inc.
- Anderson's-Black Rock, Inc. v. Pavement Salvage Co., Inc.
- Graham v. John Deere Co. of Kansas City
- Hazeltine Research, Inc. v. Brenner
- KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Day & Zimmermann, Inc. v. Challoner
- Transamerican Freight Lines, Inc. v. Brada Miller Freight Systems, Inc.
- American Foreign Steamship Co. v. Matise
- Foremost-McKesson, Inc. v. Provident Securities Co.
- Michelin Tire Corp. v. WagesAltered precedent
- United States v. Bornstein
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