Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-24
Allegations Mads Against a Well
KnownPatent Attorney.
JOHN WEDDESRBUjRiN 10 SHOW CAUSE
Some of the Statements in Mr..
D ( :
Butterworth's Order.
THE HER IDE

Commissioner of Patents Butterworth mas
ordered the patent firm of Wedderburn &
Co. of this city to show cause why they
should not be disbarred from practice be-
fore the patent Office because of fraud.
The commissioner of patents rccites the
statements contained in a circular, entitled
New Departure" distributed by Wedder-
burn & Co. and that 1t has come to the
knowledge of the commissioner of patents
that the firm in the prosecution. of its busl-
hess is often employed by clients to make
searches OF the records of the Office. and
that it is the practice of the corporation
not to make bona fide, conscientious, prop
er or complete searches as are contom-
plated by the clients and as are ordinarily
made by attorneys solicitors of pat
entS.
1t is further recited that i. IS the practice
OF the corporation either Willfully or by
reason of gross or ineXcusable negligence,
to make false, fraudulent, deceptive, i'm
proper or incomplete searches or examiha-
tons as to the patent ability Of various in
ventions or designs with intent TO defraud
to the scandal and reproach of the patent
office The company is charged with ad-
v1slng clients that inventions are patena-
bic, when it is in many cases "evident that
no examination was male or that the ex-
animation. If made, was not thorough. 5ut
Willfuiiy, or by reason Of gross or mex
cUsable negligence and in violation of the
DE IeeIeHt maze, incomplete. IdlSe ana uc-
ceptiFe and not such as was contemplated
by the said persons or clients
III Is also charged that the Company has
circulated advertisements INTENDED to in
cite the persons to whom they are sent to
imagine and believe that i.iary OF the
minor arts of Corlmon civilized life are
untried fields for inventors; whereas you,
the SAID corporation, well know, Or should
we'll know, that such arts are common and
familiar fields OF invention, and further
that the said persons to whom such circu-
lars are sent are thus lei to conceive and
make inventions relative to such arts and
TO apply for patents for such Inventions
whereas, i'll fact, others have obtained
previous patents for the same Inventions;
and the said persons are also induced by
promises and offers Of medals and prizes
contained in the Same circulars, advertise
meHts, or pamphlets, 10 make unpatentabe
inventions and to apply for such invention
through you, the said John Wedderburn
& Company, or you, the said John WcGGer-
burn, as agents or agent"
1t is also charged that the company has
advised inventors that their Inventions
have been very valuable anG that good
money could be made out of the same If
properly handled when, in fact, they have
been without Halue, and were known, or
should have been Known. by the corpora
ton to be so. The charges claim that Well
derburn & Coz. published In the silver
Knight Watchnfan a letter of recommended
ton signed by Representative Suizcr. which
Is SAID l. to ou hayeipeen forgery The corn
q.
fore June NJ WHY the commissioner should
not refuse generally to recognize the said
corporation as tatefn agents in accordance
With the statute ia such case made and
MIR. Wcdderburn's Side.
Mr.. John Wedderburn was seen by Star
reporter in reference to the charges made
against him. and said that they were the
outcome of jealousy on the part of patent
attorneys whose business had been serious
ly diminished by the immense growth Of
TIE company OF which he is the president.
answer to all the charges which would
completely refute them. He said that some
OF the foremost patent attorneys are con-
nected with his company at large salaries
and that their work is done in a most
thorough manner. He remarked that in
order to protect themselves and their bust
ness the patent attorneys of this city had
combined to break down his company in
every way possible merely because his en-
terprise was taking their business from
men, Last year he said the business of
nus company amounted to 1927 having
grown from $jS.HU, which was the amounI
OF business done in the previous year.
He said that last year he had built an ex
tensive addition in the rear of his Office
huliding, on F street between 9th and 7th
streets, to accommodate employees of his
company, but that when ii was co,nple.ed
he was still SO crowded for room as to make
II necessary to rent the whole or parts of
three neishborlng buildings. Mr.. Wedder-
burn remarked that he is now EMPLOYING
300 people in the patent business The sue
cess Indicated by this growth, he said, was
the bone of contention among patent attor-
neys in this city. He had expended in the
last year $125,0Co in advertising his business
IN every newspaper in the United States.
and he thought that the proper thing for
other patent attorneys to do was to adopt
enterprisns methods to build up their own
businesses. instead of trying to pull his
down In regard to the Sulzer letter, Mr..
Wedderburn said that he had that letter in
his possession, and that the only wav he
could account for Mr.. Suffers statement
thai he had not written it was that Mr..
Sulzer had forgotten having written it, Mr..
Wedderburn concluded by saying that nv
the time the patent office got through with
his case it would discover that it had
launched upon an Investigation of the pat
ent office rather than an Investigation into
his affairs.
MAKING AN INSPECTION.