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ZIPPO MFG. CO. v. ZIPPO DOT COM, INC.
United States District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania (1997) | 952 F.Supp. 1119
TL;DR: A Pennsylvania court established a "sliding scale" test for internet-based personal jurisdiction. It held that a California company purposefully availed itself of Pennsylvania law by knowingly conducting business with 3,000 Pennsylvania residents online, thus subjecting it to suit there for related trademark claims.
Legal Significance: This case created the influential "Zippo sliding scale" test, a framework for analyzing specific personal jurisdiction based on the commercial nature and interactivity of a defendant's website. It adapted traditional due process principles to the then-emerging context of internet commerce.