The U.S. Supreme Court case Farbwerke vormals Meister Lucius & Bruning et al. v. Chemical Foundation, Incorporated, et al., 1930 revolved around the issue of patent rights and property seized during World War I under the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA). The plaintiff was a German chemical company whose patents were confiscated by the Alien Property Custodian and sold to Chemical Foundation Inc., an American corporation created for this purpose. The German firm sued on grounds that their patents were improperly taken as they had not been used in trade with enemies but rather licensed to American companies before America's entry into war. However, the court ruled against them stating that TWEA gave broad powers to seize enemy-owned property without regard for how it was being utilized at time of seizure or whether its owners could be considered 'enemies' in traditional sense.

In the dissenting opinion for Farbwerke Vormals Meister Lucius & Bruning et al. v. Chemical Foundation, Incorporated, et al., Justice Stone argued that the majority's decision was a misinterpretation of the Trading with The Enemy Act and its amendments. He contended that Congress did not intend to authorize government officials to seize property from enemy aliens without providing compensation or an opportunity for judicial review. Further, he disagreed with the majority's assertion that German patent owners were "enemies" under this act because they had no control over their patents during World War I due to pre-existing agreements between Germany and America regarding intellectual property rights in wartime situations. Therefore, these patents should not have been subject to seizure by American authorities as spoils of war.