Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1908-11-07
WHO OWNS
THE INVENTIONS
OF EMPLOYEES?
Several Interesting Cases
Which Involve the Question
of Professional Ethics Of
Mining Engineers.
fMInes and MineraIs.l


The woods are full of disgruntleo
inventors" friend recently re-
marked. Their inventions have been
appropriated by the corporations for
which they formerly worked and in
stead Of friendship between VITA,
should have been the mutual beneh-
Charles of the inventions, only the bit
terest enmity exists
1t is, perhaps, needless TO say tina,
this pessimistic statement was made
by an inventor. 1t so happened, how
ever, that In the course of a recen.
trip the editor personally met a num-
Der of inventors who were willing to
give their experiences along the same
line.
Inventor number one was metal
lurgical engineer who had ranked aigh
on the staff of large smelling COM
pany. Plans had about matured for
the installation of machinery for a
smelling plant to cost about $125, 100
when he came forward with his inven-
ton, which he claimed would salts
factorily accomplish AN equal amount
of work while the total cost of tf1e
installation would be but $4,000.
When the plant, built after his plans,
had been successfully working num-
Der OF months and neither his salary
check had shown an increase, nor had
his service been given any recognition
by gift of cash, he asked his supe-
rior for a conference. In this ne
stated that as his work had received
10 recognition from the company, he
had patented his invention and would
expect the company to pay royalty
for its use.
In reply he was told that as ne hid
the company had taken all the risk
OF losing money in demonstrating the
machine, ne should consider his sal
airy check paid him in full. On press
ing his claims, however, in recogni-
ton of his saving the company sa5, 900
he was given the choice of withdrew
ing his claim to ropalty or yaca-
ton of three months on full pay to
find another position As the invent
or had already patented another in.
yention whose application to the
smelling business would probably
prove as profitable as the first,
he chose the latter. As a
result, the company now has on its
hands a suit for royalty on the first
Invention, has lost the caanca Of &c.
quiring the second one altogether, and
the services of valuable man.
Inventor number two was likewise
a metallurgical engineer, who pre-
vious to his employment by a large
mining company had partially devel-
oped his invention. He entered the
company's employ with the verbal
understanding that he should continue
his experimental work in developing
his invention, testing it on the com
pany's ore, in return for a certain
salary and all expenses. After sew
real years the invention wes well de-
yeloped at a cost of more than $780,
600 to the company, but unfortunately
for both parties concerned, it proved
not adapted to the company's ore.
though later it proved successful in
treating many other ores. In the
meantime, khs company's engineers
went ahead with the inventors work
where he left it off at the time of his
resignation snd ultimately it proved
a success. Whereupon the inventor
brought suit to secure a royalty or re-
strain the company from using his IN
yentiou.