Altvater v. Freeman, 319 U.S. 359 (1943), was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States which held that, although a licensee had maintained payments of royalties, a Declaratory Judgment Act claim of invalidity of the licensed patent still presented a justiciable case or controversy.

Altvater v. Freeman
Argued April 19, 1943
Decided May 24, 1943
Full case nameAltvater v. Freeman
Citations319 U.S. 359 (more)
63 S. Ct. 1115; 87 L. Ed. 1450; 1943 U.S. LEXIS 1252
Case history
Prior135 F.2d 212 (8th Cir. 1943)
Holding
Although a licensee had maintained payments of royalties, a Declaratory Judgment Act claim of invalidity of the licensed patent still presented a justiciable case or controversy.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Harlan F. Stone
Associate Justices
Owen Roberts · Hugo Black
Stanley F. Reed · Felix Frankfurter
William O. Douglas · Frank Murphy
Robert H. Jackson · Wiley B. Rutledge
Case opinions
MajorityDouglas
DissentFrankfurter, joined by Roberts

See also

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Further reading

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  • Maines, Ruanne Neighbour (1949). "Declaratory Judgments: Patent Litigation: Justiciable Controversy". California Law Review. 37 (3). California Law Review, Vol. 37, No. 3: 506–510. doi:10.2307/3477809. JSTOR 3477809.
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