commerce
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 344 U.S. 280 - Steele v. Bulova Watch Co. · 1952Most cited · 762 citing opinions
Lanham Act
Commerce' is defined as 'all commerce which may lawfully be regulated by Congress.
How the Supreme Court has restated “commerce”
Each Supreme Court definition of “commerce,” sized by how often later courts cited it. “Change” is measured by wording overlap with earlier definitions — a rough signal, not a semantic judgment.
How often courts cite the cases defining “commerce”
Court decisions citing the 7 opinions that defined “commerce” — 2,307 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining cases as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.
All 7 definitions, chronological · 1865–1952
- ORIGINAL
commerce undoubtedly is traffic, but it is something more; it is intercourse.
Commerce is traffic, but it is much more. It embraces also transportation by land and water, and all the means and appliances necessarily employed in carrying it on.
Commerce, undoubtedly, is traffic; but it is something more; it is intercourse.
The proprietor of a pool room does not engage in commerce within the meaning of a treaty which merely extends to 'merchants and traders' 'protection and security for their commerce.' It would be an extravagant application of the language quoted to say that it could be extended to include the owner of a place of amusement who does not necessarily buy, sell or exchange merchandise or otherwise participate in commerce.
treaty
commerce is not dependent of title, and the fact that the oils transported belonged to the owner of the pipe line is not conclusive against the transportation being such commerce
transportation by pipe-line
means trade, commerce, transportation, transmission, or communication among the several States or from any State to any place outside thereof.