Evening star., 1909-08-20
DEMAND FOR PATENT BUILDING
INVENTORS PROTECTIVE Asso.
CITATION POINTS OUT NEED.
Criticism of Methods Of. Procedure
and Alleged Faulty Laws
Discussed.

An attack upon the patent system or
the government and a demand for new
patent office building were features OF
the second meeting Of the Inventors Pro-
tective Association last night in Eagles
Hall.
After William P. Armstrong had been
elected temporary chairman and ]. j..
O'Brien temporary secretary. Mr.. Arm
strong declared there is a national de-
mand for new patent Office, the present
building being congested and inadequate.
Patent laws today are very poor"
Chairman Armstrong continued. 'Prac-
tically any one can obtain a patent for
any sort of invention, and the patent is
no good until tested in court. Patent
laws should be final and after patent
is granted there should be no litigation
possible. The patent examiners are not
efficient or careful, as can be easily prov
en- by the facts In the case
The project of building new Patent
Office and of reforming the system has
been indorsed by different patent COM
Moore. There is now over 100000 of
patent fees that could be used for this
purpose if Congress would consent. =
bill is now pending which. II passed,
would accomplish this. and the associa-
ton is going to urge it's passage at the
next session of Congress-"
Purpose of the Association.
Secretary O'Brien, in discussing the
purpose of the new association to do
away with faulty legal procedure which
attends patent litigation, said:
There is hardly any class of litigants
who receive SO little satisfaction as pat
entees. and the cost and delays Of patent
litigat on are ridiculous.
For an inventor to collect damages for
infringements on his patent is rare. Pro-
lection today is thrown about the In
fr.nger rather than the inventor, since
the severest punishment that can be given
an infringer is the stopping of further in
fringement on his part. 1t Is one of the
ma n purposes of the Inventors Protec-
tive Association to remedy this great evil.
fne United States government should
look after and punish at It's own expense
the infringements of patents.
There is defect after defect in the pres
ent patent system. which the association
intends to do away with If possible.
In the first place 1t Is generally sup
posed that to obtain a patent the inven-
shows that conservative estimate of the
cost of patent places 1t at $50 This
price is outrageous. and excludes many
inventors from patent ng their ideas. 1t
includes government and attorney fees.
Again. inventors, for the most part.
are handicapped by ignorance of patent
methods. and fake patent statesmen are
continually reaping rich harvest. Cor
porat ons, too. are continually cheating
inventors of their rights
Committee Appointed.
A committee was appointed to draft a
constitution and bylaws after the organi-
cation was named. 1t consists of w. p.
Armstrong. chairman; ]. ]. OBrien. sec
retary; DR.. c. A. Willis. Edward Steph-
ems, j. r. Kelley and Rev. ]. Williams.
The committee for the purpose of obtain
ing a hall for later meetings consisted Of
George Payne. chairman; j. H. Schenck
and r. w. Eversole.
About twenty-five women inventors an
nounced their intention last night of be-
coming members OF the Inventors Pro-
teetlve Association.
1t was stated to be the plan of the
organization to make application to the
Public Library directors for permission
to hold its future meetings without cost
in the lecture hall of the Library. The
application will be made under the head
Of science, 1t being contended by the
officers that the association is a scien-
titic body.