Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-26
SELDEN PATENTS
WELL SUSTAINED
DECISION BROADLY COVERS
ALL GAS CARS
Ford People Determined to Garry on
Fight Against Patent in Su-
preme Court of United
States

Decision was filed in the United
States circuit court for the southern
district of New York by his honor
Judge Hough September Is in the ia
nous suit under the Selden patent on
gasoline automobiles.
The decision, holds that the claims
of the patent on which suit was
brought are valid and infringed. The
decision is Yolumnous, reviewing the
entire case, and concluding that the
invention of George b. Selden of
Rochester, N. Y, is a pioneer inVen-
tion of very great merit. 1t holds that
Selden is the first in this art, and
broadly construed claim 1 so that it
covers all gasoline automobiles.
The test cases in which this decision
is rendered comprises suits against an
American manufacturer against sell
ing agents for automobiles and against
importers of automobiles, as well as
against user of an infringing auto
mobile. Currently there have been
over fifty other suits pending, and de-
cision in all of them has practically
awaited the result of the decision of
the court in what became known as
the test cases brought against an i'm
porter OF a machine known as the
Panhard and it's American agent and
the American agent of the Renault
machine as well as the manufacturer
and agent and a user of car known
as the Ford
While it has generally been consid-
cred that the industry for six years
past was divided into two camps, this
was owing to the fact that in March,
1903 the principal manufacturers of
gasoline automobiles in the United
States acquired license under the Sell
Gen patent, recognizing its validity.
These principal manufacturers include
almost without exception every COM
pany that was manufacturing gasoline
automobiles in 1902. In view of this,
the decision now rendered affects the
newcomers in the business, that is,
companies started within the last few
years, as we'll as all foreign automo-
bile manufacturers whose product is
being imported into the United States,
with the exception of those cars han
died by agents licensed to import cer-
tain specific foreign made gasoline au-
tomobiles.
The cases in which the present de-
cision was rendered were argued be-
fore Judge Hough for six days at the
end of May and beginning of June,
1909 In submitting the cases the rec
ord, which has been accommodating for
the past five years, amounted to over
5000 printed pages of testimony. The
decision was rendered, therefore, with
unusual promptness. Unlike many I'M
portant cases, this decision comes more
than three years before the expiration
of the patent. The argument of this
important case was made by William
A. Redding, Esq, Samuel r. Belts,
Esq, and Frederick P. Fish, Esq, for
the patent; and the defendants were
represented by Messrs. Parker, Cou-
dert, Murray and c. Benton Crisp.
The American manufacturers who
will not he adversely affected by this
decision are the licensees comprising
the Association of Licensed Automo-
bile Manufacturers, as follows:
American Locomotive company, APP
person Brothers Auto company, Auto
car company, Buick Motor company,
Cadillac Motor Car company, Chalm-
ers- Detroit Motor company, the Co
lumbia Motor Car company, Corbin
Motor Vehicle corporation, Gilmore
Manufacturing company, Everitt-
Metzger- Flanders company, H. H
Franklin Manufacturing company
Haynes Auto company, Hewitt Motor
company, Hudson Motcr Car company
Knox Auto company, I.ocomobile Com
pany of America, Lozier Motor COM
pany Matheson Motor Car company,
Packard Motor Car company Peerless
Motor Car company, the Pierce Arrow
Motor Car company, the Pope Manu-
featuring company, Royal Tourist Car
company, Alden Sampson, second, Sell
den Motor Vehicle company F.
Stearns company, Stevens-Duryea
company, Studebaker Auto company,
Motor company, Walter Automobile
company, Waltham Manufacturing
company, Winton Motor Carriage COM
nanV