F. W. Woolworth Co. v. Contemporary Arts, Inc.

F. W. Woolworth Co. v. Contemporary Arts, Inc
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued November 17, 1952 Decided December 22, 1952
Full case name	F. W. Woolworth Co. v. Contemporary Arts, Inc
Citations	344 U.S. 228 (more) 73 S. Ct. 222; 97 L. Ed. 276; 95 U.S.P.Q. 396
Case history
Prior	93 F. Supp. 739 (D. Mass. 1950); affirmed, 193 F.2d 162 (1st Cir. 1951); cert. granted, 343 U.S. 963 (1952).
Holding
Trial judges enjoy wide latitude with imposing possible remedies to discourage copyright violations. They may penalize infringers with repaying profits, compensation for damages or statutory damages as appropriate to the situation.
Court membership
Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson Associate Justices Hugo Black · Stanley F. Reed Felix Frankfurter · William O. Douglas Robert H. Jackson · Harold H. Burton Tom C. Clark · Sherman Minton
Case opinions
Majority	Jackson, joined by Vinson, Reed, Douglas, Burton, Clark, Minton
Dissent	Black, joined by Frankfurter
Laws applied
Copyright Act of 1909

F. W. Woolworth Co. v. Contemporary Arts, Inc. nicknamed The Cocker Spaniel Case, 344 U.S. 228 (1952), is a United States Supreme Court case regarding copyright infringement. The Copyright Act of 1909 allows recovery of either the profits of the infringing company or of the damages suffered by the copyright holder as the legal remedies. When the actual damages cannot be determined, statutory damages can be levied instead. At issue, is whether the trial judge can impose statutory damages when the actual profits of the infringer are known.