In the 1898 case of Oakes v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled on a matter involving copyright law and international agreements. The plaintiff, Oakes, had purchased exclusive rights to a British map in America from its original creator. However, another party began selling copies of this map without his permission. When he sued for copyright infringement under U.S law, it was revealed that the original author hadn't complied with certain requirements necessary to secure American copyright protection as per an international agreement between Britain and America at that time (the Chace Act). Therefore technically no valid U.S copyright existed when Oakes bought the rights. The court held that despite these circumstances not being fault of Oakes himself but rather due to non-compliance by the initial author before him; since there was no valid US Copyright initially present when he bought it - he couldn't claim any infringement against others using same work later on. This ruling highlighted importance of ensuring compliance with all legal formalities while securing copyrights especially in context of works originating from foreign jurisdictions or those governed by specific treaties/agreements.

In the dissenting opinion for Oakes v. United States, Justice Harlan argued that the majority's interpretation of the law was too broad and could potentially criminalize innocent actions. He contended that a person should not be found guilty merely because they possessed materials or tools commonly used in counterfeiting if there is no evidence to suggest they intended to use them illegally. According to him, this would infringe upon personal liberties and violate principles of justice by presuming guilt without sufficient proof. Furthermore, he believed it was unreasonable to hold someone criminally liable for possessing items which have legitimate uses simply because they can also be used in illegal activities.