The U.S. Supreme Court case D.R. Wilder Manufacturing Company v. Corn Products Refining Company in 1914 revolved around a patent dispute between the two companies over a process for refining corn products, specifically glucose syrup and dextrose sugar. The plaintiff, D.R. Wilder Manufacturing Co., claimed that Corn Products Refining Co.'s method of refining infringed on their patented process which involved treating corn with sulfurous acid to produce these products more efficiently and at lower cost than previous methods allowed for it to be done before the patent was issued in 1890. Corn Products countered by arguing that they had been using this same method prior to the issuance of Wilder's patent, thus making them "prior users" under law and exempt from infringement claims. The court ruled in favor of Corn Products based on evidence presented showing that they had indeed used this technique before Wilder's patent was granted; therefore, no infringement occurred as per established laws regarding patents and intellectual property rights.

In the dissenting opinion for D. R. Wilder Manufacturing Company v. Corn Products Refining Company, Justice Holmes argued that the patent in question should not be deemed invalid due to lack of novelty or non-obviousness as determined by lower courts. He contended that there was a clear difference between what was previously known and what the patentee had discovered, which constituted an invention deserving protection under law. The justice disagreed with majority's view on 'prior use', stating it did not invalidate this particular patent because such prior use wasn't sufficiently disclosed to public knowledge before filing of said patent application; thus, it could not have been an obstacle to its grant or enforcement against infringers like defendant company here involved.