The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1894-01-16
NO CHEAP TELEPHONES.
e.,ee Hopes Raised by an Ex-
pirIng Patent.

A few days ago AHE NEWS
,.;rted an article from the Fort
Worth Gazette headed, "Tele.
Dbone Competition," in which it
v.s stated the patent on telephones
,sd expired. From the following,
[lipped from the New York Even.
no Post, ii seems, perhaps, there
vas in that article slight mistake.
t says;
Much has been published during
he year list ended about the
approaching expiration of telephone
bstten,s and the consequent nearness
4 an era of cheap telephones.
These expectations do not seem to
have much substantial basis.
Practically the last of the un-
buestioned patents of the Bell Tele.
bnone company will expire on the
both of this month, when the re.
peiver patent ends, and then the
man reliance of the company 10 the
FIXTURE must be on the Berliner and
the Edison transmitter patents.
These are the two patents which
were "held up" in the patent office
some fourteen years on account of
"interferences," and were issued
only in the last two years Berlin.
er's on November II, 1891. The
patent which expires on January 80
is for the receiver now used, and af-
ter that date any manufacturer may
make receivers, but to make the
transmitters it will be necessary to
wait until the Berliner patent ques.
ton has been decided, or take risks
Of having it declared good by the
courts and thus become liable for
damages for infringement. The
Berllner patent was applied for in
1877, and while it hung fire the life
Of the Bell patents drew to close.
lthas been popularity supposed that
the Bell company was In no hurry
to have the Berliner patent, the
rights of which it had acquired,
granted, as it would only run out
the sooner, and the company was
protected without it, needing it only
for the future.
The Barliner patent is almost as
sweeping in it's terms as the patents
under which the company has been
doing business, and if it is sustain
ed other people will scarcely dare
to build and equip lines on the slight
possibility that they may be able to
get system which will not in
fringe on that already in use. 1t is
considered possible that one trans
mltter which has been mad may
nave fighting chance against the
Bell company, but no more.
Attorney General Miller began
the suit against the company IL
Boston in February last, attacking
the Berliner patent on the ground
that the claims set up in it are GOV
cred by the previous patents issuee
TO the same company, beginning
with the original patent, and tina
me possession of the Berliner paten
VIII continue during its full tern
the close monopoly of the telephone
business which the company ha
maintained since the first paten
was issued, and that such proceed
ing is against the spirit and inten
OF Of the patent laws of the Unite
states, as we'll as against justic
and equity. The case has bee
proceeding rapidly for suits of tina
u.'nafacter, and it is now expecte
!nat the evidence will be in b
reOruary next, and that argument
WIN be begun then, and that a DE-
vision may be reached before lon
aIserward. Then the case vii
probably be appealed, no matte
winch way it goes, so that it ma
W several years before a final resul
is obtained.
y, The Berliner patent covers abor
al al Oh the principles of the micr'
pnone form of transmitter, d &
wa rna' is the only one in successf1
sse' inc sustaining of it would mea
seventeen years of life for the Be
oo,Impany. 1t is also declared b
o o.sU'rlcians that even should tt
IL decide against the compan!
~ would be still in noa;4ion /