Higgins v. Keuffel

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Higgins v. Keuffel
Seal of the United States Supreme Court.svg
Argued April 7–8, 1891
Decided May 11, 1891
Full case nameHiggins v. Keuffel
Citations140 U.S. 428 ( more )
11 S. Ct. 731; 35 L. Ed. 470
Holding
A label describing the contents of a container is not subject to copyright.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Melville Fuller
Associate Justices
Stephen J. Field  · Joseph P. Bradley
John M. Harlan  · Horace Gray
Samuel Blatchford  · Lucius Q. C. Lamar II
David J. Brewer  · Henry B. Brown
Case opinion
MajorityField, joined by unanimous

Higgins v. Keuffel, 140 U.S. 428 (1891), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held a label describing the contents of a container is not subject to copyright. [1]

The case has been read narrowly since it was decided. It applies to labels with "no artistic excellence." [2]

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References

  1. Higgins v. Keuffel, 140 U.S. 428 (1891).
  2. Bracha, Oren (2016). Owning Ideas: The Intellectual Origins of American Intellectual Property, 1790–1909. Cambridge University Press. p. 75. ISBN   978-0-521-87766-4.