Thor Power Tools Decision
Thor Power Tool Company v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue was a 1979 U.S. Supreme Court ruling which changed the way companies are allowed to depreciate their unsold inventory. An unforeseen side-effect of this decision was that it became less profitable for publishers to keep slowly but regularly selling books in print (their backlist). Some argue that this has made it harder for midlist authors to make a living because books tend to be remaindered or pulped and go out of print more quickly.
