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No. 01-408October Term 2001Decided Jun 3, 2002

Docket 01-408October Term 2001 (2001–2002)

Holmes Group, Inc. v. Vornado Air Circulation Systems, Inc.

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Case status

Current stage
Decided
Latest event
Decision released Jun 3, 2002
Case Accepted
Arguments HeardMar 19, 2002
Decision ReleasedJun 3, 2002
What it's about

```json { "summary": "The Supreme Court ruled that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit lacks jurisdiction over a case where the only patent law issues appear in a defendant's counterclaim rather than the plaintiff's original complaint. The decision reinforced the \"well-pleaded complaint rule,\" establishing that federal patent jurisdiction depends solely on the claims asserted by the plaintiff.", "questionPresented": "Does the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have appellate jurisdiction over a case in which the complaint does not allege a claim arising under federal patent law, but the answer contains a patent-law counterclaim?" } ```

Question presented

Does the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have appellate jurisdiction over a case in which the complaint does not allege a claim arising under federal patent law, but the answer contains a patent-law counterclaim?

Case path

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit / Decision released Jun 3, 2002

Area

Decided Supreme Court case

Timing

Decided June 3, 2002

The Court released its decision 76 days after oral argument on March 19, 2002. The median for cases argued in March is 83 days.

Based on 44 merits cases argued in March since 1995.Argument and decision days

Documents

Opinions

Holmes Group

Scalia, Stevens, Ginsburg, O'Connor

View full docket on supremecourt.gov

Grounding

Grounding
Primary-source trail available.
Note
Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
Checked
Mar 30, 2026
Primary materials3