Dawson Chemical Co. v. Rohm & Haas Co.
448 U.S. 176 · Decided June 27, 1980 · 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
Dawson Chemical Co. v. Rohm & Haas Co. was decided on June 27, 1980 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Patents” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 448 U.S. 176 · 100 S. Ct. 2601 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 696 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 7
- Docket number
- 79-669
- Decided
- June 27, 1980
- Argued
- April 21, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Patents
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 35 U.S.C. § 271
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Dawson Chemical Co. et al. v. Rohm & Haas Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-145, docket 1979-145-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Patents”
- Diamond v. Chakrabarty
- General Motors Corp. v. Devex Corp.
- Sakraida v. Ag Pro, Inc.
- Dennison Manufacturing Co. v. Panduit Corp.
- Kewanee Oil Co. v. Bicron Corp.
- Brunette Machine Works, Ltd. v. Kockum Industries, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: 35 U.S.C. § 271
- Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education Expense Board v. College Savings Bank and United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- Microsoft Corporation v. AT&T Corp.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Transamerica Mortgage Advisors, Inc. v. Lewis
- P. C. Pfeiffer Co., Inc. v. Ford
- United States v. Kubrick
- Ferri v. Ackerman
- McLain v. Real Estate Board of New Orleans, Inc.
- Hatzlachh Supply Co., 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