Historical minimum amount in controversy?

I recall seeing an old case (early 20th century) where it was mentioned in passing that there was a minimum amount in controversy for a copyright case ($10,000 was the amount). I have seen the minimum increase for diversity actions, but was there such a requirement for federal question jurisdiction as well?

Was there a time when a copyright infringement action didn't have to be a federal case (literally) and might even be litigated in small claims court? Received on Tue Oct 17 2000 - 22:46:43 GMT