Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-04-07
sIRGLE COPIES TWO GENTS.
Monday, April 2, 1884.

ATTACk1NG THE PATENT Laws.
The people Of no State in the Union are
more interested in any change of the patent
laws than the people Of this State, which has
been prolific of Inventions. Several bills
proposing important changes in these laws
are now pending in Congress. 0ne bill.
which was introduced by Mr.. Calkins, of In
diana, is intended to make it more difficult
fringement. 1t provides that the plaintiff
shall recover no costs, unless he shall recover
damages in 800 or more, if it shall appear
that the defendant bought the patented article
in good faith for his parsonal use from q
manufacturer and held it for his own use.
1t also provides that the plaintiff shall, at
the beginning of the suit, bind himself to
pay all costs and attorneys fees that may
be adjudged against him, and that, If the
defendant shall win, the court shall allow
him costs and $50 for counsel fees, to be
recovered by suit upon.the plaintiffs bond.
Another bill provides that the owner of a
patent shall recover nothing from de-
fendant in a suit for Infringement if it shall
appear that the defendant bought the article
in the open market and used it solely for his
own benefit without having been told that
it was subject to the patent in question;
that the only man liable in such cases
shall be the maker or vendor from whom
the defendant received the article, and
that if the defendant himself or his en-
ploye made the article for his own use, the
plaintiff shall recover only license fee, to
be fixed by jury. Another bill proposes
that patents shall be granted for five years
instead of seventeen. Another provides that
it shall be sufficient defense in any suit for
ir fringment that the defendant bought the
article for his own use Sin the course of
trade" without knowing that it was patented.
and that he may continue to own and use
the article after having received notice from
the owner of the patent.
These attacks upon the patent laws origin
ated, it is said, in the West, where farmers
have suffered much in their minds and pock-
etbooks from the demands of those who own
the barbed-wire patents. But it is not probable
that any changes will be made in the patent
laws which will harm inventors and tend to
discourage invention. Senator Platt of this
State is looking sharply after the interests of
inventors IN GulS HldGI6E. dis arguments
against proposed changes are unanswer-
able. In a recent speech he showed how
even those who have suffered most from the
barbed-wire business might have been much
worse off He said: There have been made
and sold from 1874 to 1882, inclusive, of
barbed-wire for fencing 469, ,8O5, 600 pounds,
which make equal to 1875. .806 miles of post
and-rail fence, or 110, 1884, 460 rods
An old board and post fence
costs ST. per rod, and the barbed wire fence
costs fifty cents per rod. Hence the actual
saving to farmers already by this one invan-
tion is $55, 1872 ,24O. The total amount of
fencing in the United States is estimated at
1,619, 1876 42s rods At 81 per rod this
wonld amount to many dollars; whereas,
if we had had this invention and could have
built all these fences of barbed wire at fifty
cents a rod, it would have saved the farmers
of this country the enormous value of $685.,
597, ia
Neither farmers nor anybody else can afford
to fight against invention. The true policy
is to give it generous encouragement