Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
J

J.E.M. AG Supply, Inc. v. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

534 U.S. 124, 122 S. Ct. 593, 151 L. Ed. 2d 508 (2001)

From our private database of 46,400+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

J.E.M. AG Supply, Inc. v. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

United States Supreme Court
534 U.S. 124, 122 S. Ct. 593, 151 L. Ed. 2d 508 (2001)

Facts

The Plant Patent Act of 1930 (PPA) provided limited patent protection for asexually reproduced plants. The Plant Variety Protection Act of 1970 (PVPA) authorized patent-like protection for certain plants that were sexually reproduced. However, plant patents were also issued as utility patents—that is, patents issued under 35 U.S.C § 101, the main federal statute establishing patent protection for new and useful inventions. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. (Pioneer) (plaintiff) held several utility patents on hybrid corn seeds. J.E.M. AG Supply, Inc. (J.E.M.) (defendant) purchased patented hybrid corn seeds from Pioneer and then resold them without authorization. Pioneer brought a patent-infringement action against J.E.M. in federal district court. J.E.M. attacked the validity of Pioneer’s patents, arguing that plant patents could not be issued outside of PPA and PVPA authority. The court found in favor of Pioneer. The court of appeals affirmed. J.E.M. appealed. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Thomas, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 832,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,400 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,400 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Intellectual Property
Patent

Key Terms