The Gibbons v. Ogden case is a 1824 precedent of the United States Supreme Court, that gave Congress the control of interstate commerce.
Under a state law, New York State had granted Livingston and Fulton exclusive rights to use and navigate all waterways in the state. Gibbons arbitrarily initiated a passenger transport business between New York State and New Jersey, and Ogden sued Gibbons in violation of his exclusive business right.
Gibbons operated a steamer that ran between New York State and New Jersey State. Because of this, the restrictive regulations imposed by the State of New York were harmful to him. He argued then that it was a power of the Congress to control trade when several states were involved, so the decision of the State of New York went against this precept. The Supreme Court established that, indeed, it was the power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce and that the law of the State of New York was in violation of federal antitrust laws that prohibited monopoly.
