Diamond v. Chakrabarty
447 U.S. 303 · Decided June 16, 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
Diamond v. Chakrabarty was decided on June 16, 1980 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Patents” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 447 U.S. 303 · 100 S. Ct. 2204 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 144 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 112
- Docket number
- 79-136
- Decided
- June 16, 1980
- Argued
- March 17, 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
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Patents
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 35 U.S.C. § 101
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Diamond, Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks v. Chakrabarty
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-116, docket 1979-116-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Patents”
- Dawson Chemical Co. v. Rohm & Haas Co.
- 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. § 101
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