The U.S. Supreme Court case American Colortype Company v. Continental Colortype Company in 1902 revolved around a patent dispute between the two companies over color printing technology. The plaintiff, American Colortype Company, alleged that Continental had infringed on their patented process for producing colored illustrations or prints by using lithographic stones and transferring impressions from one stone to another with colors applied separately. However, the defendant argued that they were not infringing because they used a different method involving zinc plates instead of lithographic stones. The court ruled in favor of the defendant, stating that while both methods produced similar results, there was no infringement as long as the means employed were substantially different - which was true in this case since zinc plates and lithographic stones are materially distinct mediums for printmaking processes.

The dissenting opinion in the case of American Colortype Company v. Continental Colortype Company argued that the majority's decision was incorrect because it failed to adequately consider the nature and purpose of trade secrets. The dissenting justices believed that a company should be able to protect its business methods, even if they are not patented, from being used by competitors who gain knowledge of them through dishonest means or breach of trust. They contended that such protection is necessary for encouraging innovation and maintaining fair competition in business. Furthermore, they disagreed with the majority's view on what constitutes 'public domain', arguing that just because information is theoretically accessible does not mean it is readily available or known to all interested parties.