{"argument_date":"2019-02-20T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2019-02-20T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2018","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","paragraphs":["Ms. Spinelli explained that Section 365 lets the trustee decide on contract assumption.","Mr. Tripp argued that trademarks differ from other intellectual property rights.","Justice Sotomayor noted that Section 365(n) is not the default rule for IP."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 16-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 12, lines 16-21"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 10-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 10-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 33-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 33, lines 33-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 16-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 16-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 8-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 8-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 23-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 23-7"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 16-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 16-32"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 36-36","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 36-36"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 23-34","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 23-34"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 7-12","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 7-12"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 25-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 25-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 33-34","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 33-34"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 7-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 7-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 22-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 22-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 28-33","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 28-33"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 36-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 36-21"}]}],"caption":"Mission Product Holdings, Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:20.153048Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"The dispute centers on whether a debtor can abandon a trademark license during bankruptcy proceedings.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 10-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 10-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 33-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 33, lines 33-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 16-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 16-22"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2019-02-20T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2018","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/17-1657.html","primary_docket":"17-1657","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-30T17:59:07.263626Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":1},{"correction_note":"Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.","created_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":2}],"schema_version":"1.1","sections":[{"heading":"What this case is about","paragraphs":["This case tests the scope of a bankruptcy trustee's power to reject executory contracts. The core conflict involves the interaction between bankruptcy law and intellectual property rights."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 10-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 10-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 33-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 33, lines 33-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 16-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 16-22"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on February 20, 2019."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 8-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 8-15"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["Mission Product Holdings wants the trustee to reject the trademark license.","Tempnology wants the license to survive the bankruptcy process."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 10-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 10-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 33-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 33, lines 33-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 16-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 16-22"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["Mission Product Holdings argues Section 365 allows the trustee to reject any executory contract.","Tempnology argues trademark law grants specific rights that bankruptcy law cannot override."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 10-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 10-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 33-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 33, lines 33-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 16-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 16-22"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Justice Kagan asked which law identifies the principle in question.","Justice Sotomayor questioned why the current rule applies to trademarks specifically."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 16-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 12, lines 16-21"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 23-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 23-7"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 16-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 16-32"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 36-36","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 36-36"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 23-34","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 23-34"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 7-12","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 7-12"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 25-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 25-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 33-34","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 33-34"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 7-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 7-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 22-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 22-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 28-33","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 28-33"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 36-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 36-21"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["This issue determines the stability of trademark licenses during corporate financial distress. It affects how businesses manage intellectual property assets in bankruptcy."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 10-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 10-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 33-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 33, lines 33-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 16-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 16-22"}]},{"heading":"What happens next","paragraphs":["This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 16-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 12, lines 16-21"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 8-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 8-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 23-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 23-7"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 16-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 16-32"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 36-36","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 36-36"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 23-34","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 23-34"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 7-12","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 7-12"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 25-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 25-27"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 33-34","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 33-34"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 7-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 7-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 22-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 22-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 28-33","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 28-33"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 36-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 36-21"}]}],"slug":"2018-17-1657-mission-product-holdings-inc-v-tempnology-llc","term":"2018","title":"Can a bankruptcy trustee reject a trademark license?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 21, lines 10-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 21, lines 10-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 33-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 33, lines 33-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 16-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2018/17-1657_21o3.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 16-22"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}