QUALITY KING DISTRIBUTORS, INC. v. L’ANZARESEARCH INT’L, INC. (96-1470)
98 F.3d 1109, reversed.
Syllabus
Opinion
[ Stevens ]		Concurrence
[ Ginsburg ]
HTML version
PDF version		HTML version
PDF version		HTML version
PDF version

Ginsburg, J., concurring

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

No. 96—1470

QUALITY KING DISTRIBUTORS, INC., PETITIONER v. L’ANZA RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL, INC.

ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

[March 9, 1998]

Justice Ginsburg, concurring.

This case involves a “round trip” journey, travel of the copies in question from the United States to places abroad, then back again. I join the Court’s opinion recognizing that we do not today resolve cases in which the allegedly infringing imports were manufactured abroad. See W. Patry, Copyright Law and Practice 166—170 (1997 Supp.) (commenting that provisions of Title 17 do not apply extraterritorially unless expressly so stated, hence the words “lawfully made under this title” in the “first sale” provision, 17 U.S.C. § 109(a), must mean “lawfully made in the United States”); see generally P. Goldstein, Copyright §16.0, pp. 16:1—16:2 (2d ed. 1998) (“Copyright protection is territorial. The rights granted by the United States Copyright Act extend no farther than the nation’s borders.”).