Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd.
545 U.S. 913 · Decided June 27, 2005 · 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
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd. was decided on June 27, 2005 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Copyrights” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 545 U.S. 913 · 125 S. Ct. 2764 · 162 L. Ed. 2d 781 · 2005 U.S. LEXIS 5212
- Docket number
- 04-480
- Decided
- June 27, 2005
- Argued
- March 29, 2005
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Copyrights
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 17 U.S.C. § 101
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc., et al. v. Grokster, Ltd., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2004-079, docket 2004-079-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Copyrights”
- Eric Eldred v. John D. Ashcroft
- New York Times Company, Inc. v. Jonathan Tasini
- Traffix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc.
- Reed Elsevier, Inc. v. Irvin Muchnick
- Costco Wholesale Corporation v. Omega, S.A.
- Lawrence Golan v. Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Norfolk Southern Railway Company v. James N. Kirby
- Koons Buick Pontiac GMC, Inc. v. Bradley Nigh
- Kp Permanent Make-Up, Inc. v. Lasting Impression I, Inc.
- Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Aviall Services, Inc.
- Rochelle Brosseau v. Kenneth J. Haugen
- Willard Stewart v. Dutra Construction Company
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