The morning call., 1893-03-08
PATENTS EXPIRE.
The Bell Telephone no
Longer a Monopoly.
John l. Sabin Not Disturbed by the
Prospect of COmpetition-What
Attorney Boone Thinks.

One by one the patents covering the rights
of the Bell telephone monopoly are expiring.
Already the Blake trapsmitter, which re-
ceives the words of the speaker, has become
the property of the public There is but
one important telephone device on which
the present patent will not expire until the
Both of next January. But the main patent
Issued to Alexander Graham Bell runs out
to-day.
This one patent was the principal barrier
against outside competition, and now that
it has gone there remains no legal ground
for the monopoly's existence.
But that fact is not calculated to deter
the Bell Telephone Company. Monopo-
lies are not built that way. and there is
great probability that any outside company
with desire to share in the spoils will have
to fight for it. The Bell Company has had
the exclusive control of the business for so
long that they have got a deep root in the
soil by this time which IL would be rather
difficult to dlsplace.
Speaking of the matter to q CALL repre-
sentative yesterday, John l.. Boone. the
Well-known authority on patents, said:
1T is a fact that these patents have
legally expired, but it is also fact that the
company will he, for the present. at least,
very little affected by their expiration.
The telephone people feel that they have
too secure hold Oh the business to admit
OF their being run out just yct, and the other
people who would like to organize and CON-
pete against them recognize this fact, and
understand that they are not in position
to butt against them.
but looking at the legal side Of the ques-
ton the telephone company stands in very
ultenable position. They have lately re-
sorted to very apparent subterfuge in an
attempt to give themselves one more foot
hold in thu law in anDlV n y
for patent on certain portion of the
electrical mechanism, which patent they
held over and managed to keep pending in
the department until such time as all the
rest OF their patents had run out, when they
would bring up this one and have it
formally granted. This they have done,
and now claim that no one has any right to
operate a telephone in which this particular
device is to be used.
II am doubtful, though, II This little rHse
IS going to succeed, for the United States
Attorney has already commenced proceed
ings to set aside the granting OF this last
patent
Il don't believe either that the United
States courts will allow themselves TO be
trified with in this manner.
Yes, an opposition corporation would
easily get into the field, but the only ques-
tion is as to whether they could remain in
it against the capital and the strong organi-
cation Of the powerful company that now
controls the business"
John I. Sabin was seen by CALL man
at his office in the Telephone building and
asked as TO how the expiration of the patents
would affect the company. Said he:
The expiration of these patents won't
make the slightest difference to us in the
operation of our lines. We have, of course
understood for some time past the facts in
the case, but we haven't worried any over it.
We intend to keep right on as we are
doing until some other company gets up an
opposition and then We may make move"
There IS no doubt but the local telephone
people would make it very warm for any
organization that attempted TO interfere
with their business. and at present there is
no sign Of competition appearing