The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1913-08-17
Ansco Company Of Binghamton
Wins Suit Against the
Eastman Company.
INVENTOR DIES INPOvERTY
Aged Widow Of Poor Newark
Pastor May Now Benefit
by Court Decision.

I nitpd states court in BuHaiO, declaring
the Eastman Kodak Company infringers
on the Hannibal Goodwin film patent. the
Eastman company will be compelled to
account for between 81 900 600 and S25. .O0O.-
NO. This sum. he said. represented profits
made on films in the last fifteen years.
The Ansco company controls the Goodwin
Film and Camera Company, which In turn
controls the Goodwin patent.
The decision declares that all the common
types OF Aim manufactured by the Eastman
company. such as cartridge Aims. film
packs and cinematosraph f,lms. are an In
fringement Of the Goodwin patent. Under
the courts decree an injunction will he
issued restraining the Eastman company
from continuing the manufacture Of the
Aims. The court will also direct an ac-
counting to the Goodwin company.
Appeal TO sspreme Court.
The Eastman company will doubtless
carry the case to the United States Supreme
Court. and IL is expected that until the
appeal is decided the Eastman com pany
will be permitted to manufacture films by
giving a heavy bond to indemnify the
Goodwin company for past and future
profits.
Under the decision the Eastman company
il accused of using for its own benefit the
inventions of the Rev. Hannibal Goodwin.
who for many years was rector OF the House
OF Prayer in Newark. a high church Prot
estant Episcopal parish. and who died in
poverty in 1900 after his interests in his
patents had been taken over by the Coon
win Film and Camera Company. His
widow. who is still living in Newark. and
is about Is years old. will benefit by the de-
cision IL II is upheld.
The Eastman company. which manuf6c-
lures the greater part OF the photOgra phic
films produced In the world. has fought
the Goodwin claims for twenty-five years.
The clergyman. who was an amateur
photographer ~ weN a. a practical chemist
devoted years to devisinR n substitute for
glass which could be carried easily When
he sought to patent his invention he was
opposed from 1857 until 1893 by the Eastman
company. which contended that he had dis
covered nothing that had not already been
patented in England. After his invention
was finally rejected in March. is9s. he ap-
pealed to the board OF examiners in chief.
which sustained his right to a patent and
held that prior art did not disclose means
for successfully producing "a photogra phi
film of the kind specified by Mr.. Goodwin.
Inventor Nets Nothing.
The suit iust decided was brought in 1902.
after Goodwin had died without realizing
anything on his invention Since that time
the prosecution OF the suit has been blocked
AT every step by the Eastman company.
while the Goodwin company has not been
energetic in pressing the case. When the
Ansco company got control OF the Goodwin
concern the case was pushed rapidly. with
the result that Judge Hazel heard il a few
weeks ago and gave his decision Friday.
In his decision Judge Hazel says:
Il think it IL fairly established by the
proofs that in this field an import ant step
forward in the art was made by Goodwin
which led from past deficiencies and failures
to success. The process by which at the
present time images are instantaneousIy
produced by the action of the light on
sensitized flexible Aim chemically pre-
pared. and by which. for example. the
movement of forms and shapes is obtained.
would be dif'cult to comprehend even at
this late date were IT not for the interest
evinced In the art by the amateur photog-
rapher since the perfection Of Archer's dry
plate process and augmented since The
substitution Of flexible Sensitized flms for
the glass plates OF the prior art
Judge Hazel says that by Daguerre's
process images were produced on sheet
metal. the sensitiying agent being iodine.
while in the Talbotype process. consisting
Of photographing on paper. which quickly
replaced the earlier metal sheets. the paper
was coated with a solution of iodine of
silver and the negative suitably waxed
before printing. Then came the Archer
patent and between 1878 and 1850 the dis
covery Of the dry plate or emulsion process.
A demand then arose for flexible film and
in 1855 George Eastman devised one and
made 1t practicable.
Eastman's Film On Paper.
MIR. Eastman's hm was OF paper coated
with gelatine bromide. which became the
negative and was easily removed from the
paper This process was objectionable be- |
cause Of the frequent appearance Of the
grain OF the paper In the picture and because
the f,lm was too thin
The Goodwin process. as described In the
complaint. consisted In "dissolving nitro |
celluose In a menstruum containing a
hygr0scOpic element and an element which
is non -hy groscopic. the latter element be-
ing Of itself q solvent OF nitrocellulOse and
Of slower volatility than the microscopic
element. depositing and spreading such
solution on supporting surface and allow
Ing tt TO set ana harden ana dry by evapora-
ton. thus spreading . phOtosraphically
sensitive solution on the hardened flm."
The Eastman company cOntsnded that
II used other chemicals than those named
by Goodwin in bringing about the same
result. but the court said that the two
processes are not distin gulsha bic on prin-
ciple. and to colorably change the solvents
by modifying the Reichenbach proport tions
In the manner stated does not create a
new process. but seems amply TO differently
carry out one that Ia already old and known
through the fundamentally OF tho patent
which 10 the subject Of this controversy"
The court said: 1T 10 not improba bio
that certain Of the new features or steps Of
the defendant involve novelty. but this
OF course would not Justify infrin semsn
Of complainant's broad invention" The
court also said. In reply TO contentious.
that the Goodwin patent was not perfect.
Tho patent law does not require that M
inventor shall have succeeded In brin ginR
his art TO the highest degree OF perfection:
II 10 enough II the skilled In the art under.
stAnd the proosss and the specification
points out . p''a'Ap'v'y OF p'''''mins ''':l