Traffix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc.
532 U.S. 23 · Decided March 20, 2001 · 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
Traffix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc. was decided on March 20, 2001 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Copyrights” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 532 U.S. 23 · 121 S. Ct. 1255 · 149 L. Ed. 2d 164 · 2001 U.S. LEXIS 2457
- Docket number
- 99-1571
- Decided
- March 20, 2001
- Argued
- November 29, 2000
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Copyrights
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 15 U.S.C. § 1051
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Traffix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 2000-031, docket 2000-031-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Copyrights”
- New York Times Company, Inc. v. Jonathan Tasini
- Eric Eldred v. John D. Ashcroft
- C. Elvin Feltner, Jr. v. Columbia Pictures Television, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Quality King Distributors, Inc. v. L'Anza Research International, Inc.
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd.
- Lotus Development Corporation v. Borland International, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: 15 U.S.C. § 1051
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
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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