Sony Corporation of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.
464 U.S. 417 · Decided January 17, 1984 · 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
Sony Corporation of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. was decided on January 17, 1984 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Copyrights” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 464 U.S. 417 · 104 S. Ct. 774 · 78 L. Ed. 2d 574 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 19
- Docket number
- 81-1687
- Decided
- January 17, 1984
- Argued
- January 18, 1983
- Reargued
- October 3, 1983
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Copyrights
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 17 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Sony Corporation of America et al. v. Universal City Studios, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-022, docket 1983-022-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Copyrights”
- Mills Music, Inc. v. Snyder
- Harper & Row v. Nation Enterprises
- Community for Creative Non-Violence v. Reid
- Stewart v. Abend
- Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co., Inc.
- Twentieth Century Music Corp. v. Aiken
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority v. Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company of Virginia
- Secretary of the Interior v. California
- Daily Income Fund, Inc. v. Fox
- Southland Corp. v. Keating
- Dixson v. United States
- Monsanto Co. v. Spray-Rite Service Corp.
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