Wayne K. Pfaff v. Wells Electronics, Inc.
525 U.S. 55 · Decided November 10, 1998 · 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
Wayne K. Pfaff v. Wells Electronics, Inc. was decided on November 10, 1998 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Patents” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 525 U.S. 55 · 119 S. Ct. 304 · 142 L. Ed. 2d 261 · 1998 U.S. LEXIS 7268
- Docket number
- 97-1130
- Decided
- November 10, 1998
- Argued
- October 6, 1998
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Patents
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 35 U.S.C. § 102
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Wayne K. Pfaff v. Wells Electronics, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1998-002, docket 1998-002-01.
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Other cases on “Patents”
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Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Nynex Corporation v. Discon
- El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. v. Tsui Yuan Tseng
- Jane M. Roberts v. Galen of Virginia, Inc.
- Department of the Army v. Blue Fox, Inc.
- AT&T Corporation v. Iowa Utilities Board
- Hughes Aircraft Company v. Stanley I. Jacobson
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