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Will Presumptive Injunctions Against Infringers Be Relics of the Past?

By David J. Goldstone
January 05, 2006

In American law, courts exercise their awesome powers through injunctions. Courts have used injunctions to implement decisions addressing many of the most divisive social issues of the day: from integrating public schools to even arguably affecting presidential elections. E.g., Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000) (enjoining Florida ballot recount); Brown v. Board of Education, 349 U.S. 294 (1955) (directing district courts to supervise “transition to a system of public education freed of racial discrimination”). See New York Times Co. v. United States, 403 U.S. 713 (1971) (refusing to grant injunction to prevent publication of “Pentagon Papers”).

An injunction, essentially, is a court order commanding someone to do some action, or prohibiting someone from doing some action. Injunctions thus present an “equitable” alternative to the conventional “legal” remedy of awarding monetary damages that is both flexible and potent. Thus, injunctions have been described as the “quintessential” remedy of a court of equity.

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