Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. v. VIP Products LLC
Decided June 8, 2023. Elena Kagan delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 22-148 · 599 U.S. 140 (2023) · Cited 48 times
Holding
When a defendant in a trademark suit uses the mark as a designation of source for its own goods or services—i.e., as a trademark—the threshold Rogers test for trademark infringement claims challenging so-called expressive works, see Rogers v. Grimaldi, 875 F. 2d 994, does not apply, and the Lanham Act’s exclusion from liability for “[a]ny noncommerical use of a mark,” §1125(c)(3)(C), does not shield parody, criticism, or commentary from a claim of trademark dilution.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 9–0.
Majority · 9
- John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Clarence Thomas
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
- Sonia Sotomayor · filed a concurring opinion
- Elena Kagan · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Neil M. Gorsuch · filed a concurring opinion
- Brett M. Kavanaugh
- Amy Coney Barrett
- Ketanji Brown Jackson
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Qualitex Co. v. Jacobson Products Co. · 514 U.S. 159 (1995)
- Moseley v. v. Secret Catalogue, Inc. · 537 U.S. 418 (2003)
- Cutter v. Wilkinson · 544 U.S. 709 (2005)
- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Samara Brothers, Inc. · 529 U.S. 205 (2000)
- Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. · 510 U.S. 569 (1994)
- Hanover Star Milling Co. v. Metcalf · 240 U.S. 403 (1916)
- Friedman v. Rogers · 440 U.S. 1 (1979)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
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Elena Kagan’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2023). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).