Continental Paper Bag Co. v. Eastern Paper Bag Co.

Continental Paper Bag Co. v. Eastern Paper Bag Co.: The Background

Continental Paper Bag Co. v. Eastern Paper Bag Co. was a landmark decision rendered by the Supreme Court of the United States. The case of Continental Paper Bag Co. v. Eastern Paper Bag Co. was argued before the Supreme Court on April 15th of 1908 and decided in June of the same year.

The United States Supreme Court in Continental Paper Bag Co. v. Eastern Paper Bag Co. established the principle that holders of patents maintained no formal obligation to use their patent. In addition to this finding, the United States Supreme Court in Continental Paper Bag Co. v. Eastern Paper Bag Co. held that it was not unreasonable for patent holders to use existing equipment rather than building new machines or developing new technologies with new patents.

The case of Continental Paper Bag Co. v. Eastern Paper Bag Co. was rendered by Chief Justice Melville Fuller and the following Associate Justices: John Harlan; David Brewer; Edward White; Rufus Peckham; Oliver Holmes Jr.; William Moody; William Day and Joseph Mckenna.

Continental Paper Bag Co. v. Eastern Paper Bag Co.: Facts of the Case

The Continental Paper Bag Co. v. Eastern Paper Bag Co. began when the Eastern Paper Bag Company filed a lawsuit to prevent its competitor (the Continental Paper Bag Corporation) from using patents for “self-opening” paper bags. The suit was filed by the Contintental Paper Bag Company because the entity claimed that the Easter Paper Bag Corporation was not utilizing its existing patents, but instead, attempting to suppress competition in the market.