General Motors Corp. v. Devex Corp.
461 U.S. 648 · Decided May 24, 1983 · 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
General Motors Corp. v. Devex Corp. was decided on May 24, 1983 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Patents” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 461 U.S. 648 · 103 S. Ct. 2058 · 76 L. Ed. 2d 211 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 38
- Docket number
- 81-1661
- Decided
- May 24, 1983
- Argued
- December 7, 1982
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Patents
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 35 U.S.C. § 284
- 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 Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
General Motors Corp. v. Devex Corp. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-086, docket 1982-086-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Patents”
- Dawson Chemical Co. v. Rohm & Haas Co.
- Dennison Manufacturing Co. v. Panduit Corp.
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- Eli Lilly and Company v. Medtronic, Inc.
- Sakraida v. Ag Pro, Inc.
- Kewanee Oil Co. v. Bicron Corp.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- United States v. Security Industrial Bank
- Xerox Corp. v. County of Harris
- Director v. Perini North River Associates
- Herman & Maclean v. Huddleston
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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