Harper & Row v. Nation Enterprises
471 U.S. 539 · Decided May 20, 1985 · 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
Harper & Row v. Nation Enterprises was decided on May 20, 1985 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Copyrights” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 471 U.S. 539 · 105 S. Ct. 2218 · 85 L. Ed. 2d 588 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 17
- Docket number
- 83-1632
- Decided
- May 20, 1985
- Argued
- November 6, 1984
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Copyrights
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 17 U.S.C. § 107
- 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 Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., et al. v. Nation Enterprises et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-100, docket 1984-100-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Copyrights”
- Mills Music, Inc. v. Snyder
- Sony Corporation of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.
- Community for Creative Non-Violence v. Reid
- Stewart v. Abend
- Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co., Inc.
- Luther R. Campbell aka Luke Skyywalker v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Mills Music, Inc. v. Snyder
- Park 'n Fly, Inc. v. Dollar Park and Fly, Inc.
- Ohio v. Kovacs
- Chemical Manufacturers Association v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. v. Byrd
- Air France v. Saks
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