The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-07
An END TO MONOPOLY.
Electric instruments Now Free
on the Market.
PHONE. 'eRAPH AND LIGHT ALIKE
The Federal supreme Court Decision
ON Foreign Patents Has Sweep
fEg Effects.

There Was much speculation IN this
city yesterday IS TO what would be the
result or the decision rendered BY Justice
Harlan. Of The United States supreme
court last Monday affecting the patents
neic By telephone. telegraph and electric
light companies The decision really an
nuts many OF the patents held By tie
large companies Of the United States
which have had a monopoly cS them fer
years. thus enabling them 20 keep up
rates and prevent other companies from
catering the field. II has been the Gus
tom o. these companies once they got
their fingers On an important and waltz
able invention TO have II patented In
some foreign country and. On the strength
OF that foreign patent, introduce II IN
this country. Al the same time shey
would apply for q patent IN the United
states. but so arrange * that instead OF
having IL granted the application would
lie sheived in the patent office until the
foreign patent was about to expire. Then
they would come in. secure their patent
from the United Staes ard continue their
monopoly for another long period jus
tice Harians decision Is probably the se-
verest blow ever dealt 20 monopoliss III
the United States He holds n substance
that tbs United States patent expires
with the foreign patent.
One OF the companies which vii suffer
by this decision is the great Bell Teie-
phone Company, which has for years run
the telephone business Of the United
States to suit itself The court BY its
decision removes the patent from the
famous Blake transnttfer. When the
patent On the trumpet--the thing you put
up TO your ear when you want TO hear
anything by the telephone roate-expired
some time ago. IL was stated that all
which was necessary 10 give the Bell
company opposition was the free use OF
the Blake iransmitter Now those who
want to organize opposition companies
can use the Blake transmftter without
having the Bell company enter the court
and secure injunetlons. restraining orders
and other legal distractions
n local representative OF the Sunset
company, which operates on the Pacific
coast by consent OF the Bell company.
said yesterday that opposition companies
would still find IL very difficult TO COIN
pete with the Bell company. The Hun
ming long distance patent" said he, has
not been affected by the decision OF the
supreme court and that Is really as i'm
portant q piece Of mechanism for tele-
phones as the Blake transmitter. Then.
too. We have the patent on the switch
board. which Is wonder In itself, and
also the patent on the bridging system.
/ feel pretty safe in saying that new
telephone companies will find that IL Will
be impossible for them TO compete for
some time TO come with the Bell COM
pany."
The General Electric Company has for
years had "a lead-pipe cinch" on the
electric Light business and Justice Har.
ian's decision brings that TO an end.
There Is no reason now why other cleo
trio light companies should not now
flourish In the United States. The Cen
erai Electric Company years ago pur-
chased from Thomas A. Edison the con-
rrxa - ~l.nt ls lfxs th<
Edison electric light patent" Dozens OF
other companies sprang up in all parts
OF the United States. but investigation
showed that they were using the Edison
patent. Some few changes were made
In the light. but nevertheless Edisons
fine hand was always seen In it, The
General Electric Company secured in
functions from the courts restraining
these companies from continuing In the
business. In this way they succeeded In
wiping out all opposition. But the Edi-
SON patent had first been taken out In
some foreign country and as that patent
has now expired the Edison monopoly Is
a thing OF the past.
The decision removes the patent on the
auadruplex telegraph instruments. but
that has little practical effect. as similar
inventions are now In use all over the
United States. The Western Union for
many years had the monopoly on this
instrument. first invented by Edison. Ten
years ago one of Its employees whose last
name was Smith patented an instrument
which even surpassed the great EdiSons.
The Western Union gohbled that up. too.
Then along came a man with just as
common a name as Snith--Jones was his
name--and made invention which gave
the Postal company quadruplex instru-
rnent which was used by the Postal COM
pany for long time. The company
became tired OF paying royalties to Jones
and one of its own men. Frank Madina,
of San Francisco. got up an Invention
which. while bearing more of resem-
blanee 20 a steam engine than TO a tele-
graph instrument gives much satisfac-
ton and IS now used In every affice OF
fbe Postal r07y1Tarv