Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
579 U.S. 197 · Decided June 16, 2016 · 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
Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. was decided on June 16, 2016 unanimously (8–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses” in the Attorneys area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 579 U.S. 197 · 136 S. Ct. 1979 · 195 L. Ed. 2d 368 · 2016 U.S. LEXIS 3922
- Docket number
- 15-375
- Decided
- June 16, 2016
- Argued
- April 25, 2016
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Elena Kagan
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Attorneys
- Legal provision
- COPYRIGHT ACT, 17 U.S.C. 505
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 2015-070, docket 2015-070-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses”
- Melene James v. City of Boise
- Baker Botts, L.L.P. v. Asarco, L.L.C.
- Murphy v. Smith
- Octane Fitness, LLC v. Icon Health & Fitness, Inc.
- Highmark Inc. v. Allcare Health Mgmt. Sys.
- Culbertson v. Berryhill
Cases on the same legal provision: COPYRIGHT ACT, 17 U.S.C. 505
Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
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