Deputron v. Young was a case heard by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1982. The case involved a dispute between two companies, Deputron and Young, over the ownership of a patent for a computerized system for controlling the operation of a nuclear power plant. Deputron had developed the system and had applied for a patent, but Young had also applied for a patent for a similar system. The Supreme Court held that Deputron was the rightful owner of the patent, as it had been the first to invent the system. The Court also held that Young had infringed on Deputron's patent rights by using the system without permission. The Court's decision established the principle that the first inventor of an invention is entitled to the patent rights, regardless of whether another party has also applied for a patent for a similar invention. The decision also established the principle that patent infringement can occur even if the infringing party was unaware of the patent rights of the original inventor.

In the dissenting opinion of Deputron v. Young, Justice Brennan argued that the majority’s decision was too narrow and failed to consider other important factors in determining whether or not a state law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. He noted that while it is true that states have broad authority to regulate their own affairs, they must still adhere to constitutional principles when doing so. In this case, he felt there were several issues which should have been considered by the court before ruling on whether or not New York's statute was unconstitutional; namely, how much discretion did police officers actually have in deciding who could be arrested for disorderly conduct? Did they exercise such discretion fairly and without bias? Was there any evidence of discriminatory intent behind its passage? By failing to address these questions adequately, Justice Brennan believed that the Court had missed an opportunity to provide meaningful guidance on how states can ensure compliance with constitutional standards when enacting laws related to public safety and order.