In Long et al. v. Converse et al., the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a patent for a machine used to make shoes was valid. The patent was issued to the plaintiff, Long, and the defendants, Converse, were accused of infringing on the patent. The Court held that the patent was valid and that the defendants had infringed upon it. The Court found that the machine was novel and that it was not obvious to those skilled in the art. The Court also found that the machine was useful and that it was not anticipated by prior art. The Court also held that the defendants had infringed upon the patent by using the machine to make shoes. The Court found that the defendants had not only copied the machine, but had also used it to make shoes. The Court concluded that the defendants had infringed upon the patent and that the plaintiff was entitled to damages. In conclusion, the Supreme Court held that the patent for the machine used to make shoes was valid and that the defendants had infringed upon it. The Court found that the machine was novel, useful, and not anticipated by prior art. The Court also found that the defendants had infringed upon the patent by using the machine to make shoes and that the plaintiff was entitled to damages.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in Long et al. v. Converse et al., arguing that the majority had misapplied existing law to reach an unjust result. He argued that a contract between two parties should be enforced according to its terms, and that courts should not interfere with such contracts unless there is clear evidence of fraud or mistake on either side. In this case, he argued, there was no such evidence; instead, the majority had simply chosen to ignore certain provisions of the contract which were unfavorable to one party in order to favor another party's interests. Justice Field concluded by expressing his hope that future decisions would adhere more closely to established legal principles when interpreting contracts between private individuals and corporations.