St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-28

StlffSJ Involves repentance OF Sln. AS
| we rise through Him to our true life in
God, sins fall from us as WORKOUT
|! garment. Out of the desert winter of
our old life we walk into Gods summer
Istime, and He casts our sins behind His
back into the depths of the sea.
sIRIGHTS OF INVENTORS.
EElectrict Lights Involved in Re-
Il cent Decision.
T. Local electric light circles-and of
|. course electric light circles everywhere
-a9e considerably interested and, per-
haps. agitated over the recent decision
I of the United States supreme court on
the longevity OF patents under the law.
This decision. which gives new lease
of life to many of Edison's patents, and
particularly the incandescent light, is
covered in a seemingly insignificant
case, The Bate Refrigerator Company
VS.. George Hammond IL Co., on an an
peal from the United States court of
Massachusetts,. The case would have
attracted no attention but for the fact
that when it came on for argument the
stopped form and great head of William
Nj. EvartS appeared as an attorney. Be-
hind this suit was the great question of
the life of patent first taken out
in a foreign country. 1t appears
that the United States law provides
that where a patent is first taken out in
foreign country and then in the United
States, its life in the United States ends
with the expiration of the foreign
patent. The ordinary patent in Canada,
for instance, has lease of lite for five
in, hn Sfaf fnr
seventeen years; but if a patent is OBJ
tanned first in Canada and then in the
United States, it expires in this country
when the Canadian grant runs out.
Several of the Edison patents were OBJ
tanned in Canada. and the five years
have expired, but first and second re-
newals have been obtained, of five years
each: the question then turned on
whether the American patent expired
with the first five years, or ran on
through the fifteen. The Massachusetts
court held to the first proposition; and
on the strength of this decision, the
Edison patent light has been openly
and generally infringed with impunity.
The supreme court, however, reverseS
this decision, in the following ruling
by Justice Blatchford:
The patent in the United States does not
cApllt lOT UlleeU years ITO1u IUe granting OIL
the patent; that is to say the lifetime of an
American patent first taken out i'll Il foreign
country does not expire until the extreme
limit of time for which an extension of pat
ent may be secured in the foreign country.
1t is now claimed by the Edison COM
pany that its incandescent light patent
is fully reinstated, and the numerous
others now in use are clear infringe
ments. Manager Finn, of the st. Paul
company. says:
''Since 1856 number of electric lamp
manufacturers have produced an in
candeScent lamp which is close copy
OF the Edison lamp, claiming that, by
all the decisions of the courts, many OF
Edison's patents had become void be-
cause the inventions so patented had
previously been patented in foreign
country, and that the foreign patents
had. expired. These decisions have
been reversed by the supreme court
(the court of last resort, and all of the
fundamental patents of the Edison Sys-
tem9are given full force for the full
term for which they were issued. All
that,i necessary to be done to prevent
any further infringement of the Edi-
son patents is to prove the infringe
ment, stop the use OF the bogus lamps
and collect damages from all who have
made. used Or sold such bogus lamps or
parts of the Edison system.
1T is comparatively easy matter to
prove that Edison was the original in
yentor and patentee of the only sue
ceSsful incandescent lamp. This has
already been done in Europe, where
every effort was made to find some one
who has made successful incandes-
cent lamp before Edison. After search
ing the world over for some inventor
who could anticipate Edison's date of
invention the priority of EdSon'S right
was established and has become mat
ter of history. The array OF capital and
weighty influence against the Edison
company is potent factor in the COM
ing struggle; but the Edison company
holds not only the right established by
courts of law, but also recent decision
of the highest court in the United
States to strengthen its patents, and
proposes now to force an issue and
bring to justice all who make use or sell
any of the lamps or devices covered by
those patents in defiance of its vested
rights.
1.-The Edison interests are exceed
ingly fortunate In reaching decision
in the supreme court so early in the
fight,and now intend to take advantage
die patents. backed by strong stock
companies or wealthy capitalists, often
succeed in fighting a patent In the
courts with delays until the patent has
expired or the inventor and his COM
pany have been forced to abandon the
fight and sell out Tor be sold out by the
sheriff.. The Edison company, as Or
ganized, with capital of s12,0OO,000,
backed by the law and the right, is
coming out on top this time. Already
company (by companies now and pre-
viously Infringing their patents) to con-
solidate, but the Edison company feel
competent to handle the whole bust
ness of incandescent lighting without
help from those who try by technicali-
ties to purloin the fruits of others