Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
U

Ushakoff v. United States

327 F.2d 669, 140 U.S.P.Q. 341 (1964)

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

Ushakoff v. United States

United States Court of Claims
327 F.2d 669, 140 U.S.P.Q. 341 (1964)

Facts

During World War II, Alexis Ushakoff experimented with the concept of a solar still—a means of distilling sea water into drinking water. Ushakoff later worked as the research director for Higgins Industries (Higgins), during which time he continued working on the solar still. At the outset of his employment, Ushakoff made it clear that he was working on several of his own projects, including the solar still, and that he expected to receive a share of the profits on these inventions. Higgins apparently accepted this condition, though there was no written contract. Ushakoff and Higgins worked with the United States Army Air Corps to develop the solar still. The Air Corps obtained at least one solar still by way of a purchase order with Higgins. After Ushakoff’s employment ended, he secured a patent on the solar still. Ushakoff then brought an infringement action against the United States government (defendant) in the United States Court of Claims. The government asserted that it had been licensed to use the invention.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)

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

Patent

Key Terms