The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-02
GENUS DISCOURAGED.
Thomas a. Edison Says the Courts
support sInfringers.
From the New York Sun.

support rInfringers.
From the New York Sun
Tra value Of a patent dimnishes in
/ ... 20 at which the value of the thing
.taU I'd decreases" Thomas A. Edison,
auo has had a greater experience with
.Ha patent office than any other inventor.
is quoted as saying. THAT is to say if a
man eets up a patent on a wrench, that
patent has a real value and may be prof
liable; but if he gets up a patent on a sys-
tem which revolutionizes things and is of
/ remendous value to the world at large,
/ lAat patent is not valuable to the invent
or. on account of the procedure of the
court.
'Iu "a great many cases, outside of me-
chau'al things, the trade secret is more
valued as a protection than a patent
/ Di .honest persons often get the inner
track of an important discovery or pat
enc and make use Of it Illegally, while
tuc inventor may never realize anything
ON his work although he may spend
thousands of dollars and continue the
fight for years. Yes, the value to the in
yeut1r of n patent Increases Just as its
ward for his services increases with the
/ lack of value of the patent. There is
less reward than ever for the Industrious
inventor.
"Oue of my biggest inventions. for
which patents were asked years ago, has
just been declared mine by law. Mean
time other men have been and are using
it and are deriving the financial benefit,
all ON account of the workings of the
patent system. Of course, 1 can sue
them but it viii be a long time before
1 can do anything. In short, there is
comparatively little reward for The in
vcntor of the important machine A
trade secret is of value in the chemical
line, for there it can be guarded. For in
stance, in the case of Bessemer of Besse-
mer steel fame. He made his money by
making bronze powder by a secret pro-
cess. and kept the secret in the family for
years before ii was finally given out to
the world. AS with the small patent. the
small trade secret has the advantage of
holding the market and In keeping the de-
vice from being stolen Get up trivial in
ventions of minor Importance and they
are valuable
The prevention of unuecesS airy delay
I'm issuing patents would make a great
change. At present the man who infringes
has every chance of protecting himself
The inventor, finding a competitor manu-
occurring his invention, goes to the patent
Office and asks for an injunction. He
says: I have patent on this or that
man who worked in my shop Is using my
ideas, cutting my price down and running
me. I can't make a cent on my own in
NentlOn. Give me an injunction against
this man until I can get the case settled"
The court says: No, we won't do it,
We will let him go ahead and fight It
ont Then the man who owns no real
patent gets the benefit of the laws-not
the man with the paper, not the man who
deserves the reward for his troubles trials
ana eXperments-and when Il comes to
settlement. the other fellow practically
has Won the fight. while the inventor has
| lost everything, for by that time the sale
OF the invention will have stopped or have
h5 'ome so feeble that there is nothing in
H.
"Infringers of patents take advantage Of
the practice of the United States supreme
/ court. II you get out a patent which is
hSely 10 become valuable 20 the public
az large you viii find that ii wiz sooner
or later be infringed upon. If it We're pos
s,ble to get an injunction Immediately
AGAINST an infringer. all would be well,
but YOU cannot do this. When you start
up the other fellow sails right in and be-
Gins manufacturing and selling just as
You do, and generally at a lower price.
You cannot do anything in court for five
or six years. and the infringer knows this.
After having spent a large amount Of
money and time in inventing your patent,
YOU place the price OF it 70 the public at
a figure which viii. YOU think reimburse
You for your expenditures. The infringer
does not have 70 meet any of these ex-
penditures. and can. therefore. afford TO
sci. far below your price law suit for
YOU is a costly matter; for him it is COM
paratively a trihe. For instance. in order
10 prove your patents you have got to
make researches, YOU have got to have
expert drawings made, and there are num-
berless other expenses which eat up prof
IT'S. All the infrnger has to do is to en-
poy q lawyer who is noted for causing
delays in court Every time your case
comes up he attempts to delay it, and gen.
orally succeeds. Meantime you are manu-
occurring at a loss, while the infringer is
manufacturing at a profit.
IF after five or six years you prove to
the court that you are rightfully entitled
10 the invention there Is but one thing
LIFT to you-to attack your opponents fac
tory At this point you viii awake to
he fact that he has no factory You viii
md that the machinery has been rented
or else it is in the name OF his wife. or
t3at he has an irresponsible company
made up of his employees or of his family,
md when finally you sweep down upon
him all you can find in his office is a
desk and a chair lie can stlll run the
shop machinery, and give more trouble
and In the end there is not only no re-
ward for the inventor. but absolute loss.
It takes time to pioneer all new things
After you talk TO the public other peo-
Die see that you have a good thing and
organize irresponsible factories. You have
perhaps. spent 100000 for machinery. tools,
r.c.. when along comes the other fellow.
without any responsib uity, and makes all
The money he can Def ore YOU are able to
get judgment against him
-s-<n-
--He-That is Mrs. Pendennis. president
Of the Astronomical Society. and she's