Dastar Corporation v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
539 U.S. 23 · Decided June 2, 2003 · 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
Dastar Corporation v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation was decided on June 2, 2003 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Trademarks” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 539 U.S. 23 · 123 S. Ct. 2041 · 156 L. Ed. 2d 18 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 4276
- Docket number
- 02-428
- Decided
- June 2, 2003
- Argued
- April 2, 2003
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Trademarks
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 15 U.S.C. § 1125
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority |
Did not participate: Stephen G. Breyer.
Full case caption
Dastar Corporation v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-063, docket 2002-063-01.
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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