Backus v. Gould, 48 U.S. (7 How.) 798 (1849), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held the Copyright Act of 1831 requires courts to award damages from copyright infringement based on the number of copies found in the accused's possession, not the number of infringing copies that they ever printed.[1] At the time, at least in the case of books, a "copy" was defined as a complete reprinting or transcription of the work.[2]
| Backus v. Gould | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Decided March 18, 1849 | |
| Full case name | Backus v. Gould |
| Citations | 48 U.S. 798 (more) |
| Holding | |
| The Copyright Act of 1831 requires courts to award damages from copyright infringement based on the number of copies found in the accused's possession, not the number of infringing copies that they ever printed. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinion | |
| Majority | McLean |
References
editExternal links
edit- Text of Backus v. Gould, 48 U.S. (7 How.) 798 (1849) is available from: CourtListener Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress
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