The Washington herald., 1915-08-28

/, work. 1t steadily has worked for the
enactment of better trade mark laws
and is largely responsible for the laws
on the subject now in force The or
ganization has also urged numerous
revisions of the copyright. laws.
Three of the five officers of the as
socia ton are residents of Washing
ton. The president is J. H. Bricken.
stein. of 9lS F street northwest. The
secretary is Eugene G. Mason. of the
Washington Loan and Trust Building
Langdon Moore, OF the Washington
Loan and Trust Building. is treasurer
The first vice president is w. A. Red
ding. of New York. and the second
vice president is George p. white
sey. of the General Electric Company
at Schenectady. n. Y.
Oldest "Ofice Boy" Attorney.
E. w. Bradford. of the Washington
Loan and Trust Building. preceded Mr..
Brickenstein as president of the or
ganization. His predecessor was W.
w. Dodge, of the firm of Dodge &
Sons. 724 Ninth street northwest. Mr..
Dodge has been member of the or
ganiZation since about the time OF its
establishment and has been continu-
ously on the committee on laws and
rules except for the periods when he
was rendered ineligible by reason of
holding successfully the offices of Sec
ond vice president, first vice presi-
dent and president of the association.
the oldest office boy" patent attorney
in Washington, in point of years of
service. He entered the patent law
Office of his father in 1872 as an Of
flee boy. at first making fires and
sweeping the rooms and doing odd
jobs. and then later taking a nind
at drawing. searching. specification
writing and other parts of the bIsi-
ness. He says that TO his knowledge
Melville Church is the only patent at
torney who has been longer in the
business than he. the difference being
several months; but this does not
cause Mr.. Dodge to lose the distinc-
ton of being the oldest office boy" at
torney, for Mr. Church is said never to
have served in the capacity of office
boy Mr.. Dodge is member of the
local bar, before which he has prac-
ticed for many years.
There has been a steady increase for
many years in the number of patents
granted and the number of applica-
tons filed. Since July IS, 1896, when
the present series of numbers of let
tiers patent commenced. there have
been issued I.OS3,267 patents. 45.O9S
have been 1865 reissues of patents.
In 1856 but one patent was
granted and i'll the following
year only lilo patents were issued.
For the last calendar year 59,9i5 patents
We're granted, marked increase over
the preceding year, when Sj,sil were is
sued. The number OF applications last
year for mechanical patents was 6I,U4
which shows that only 4 little more than
half OF those asked for are granted.
In proportion to population more
patents were issued last year to citi-
Gems of Connecticut than to those of
any other State, one to every 9i7.
Next in order came the District of Co.
lumbia. with one to every s73.
Thomas Ewing, present Commits
sioner of Patents. is not in sympathy
with the movement for limiting the
number of persons practicing before
the office TO those who have passed
examinations similar to the ones held
for admission to the bar.
1t is believed" he says in his last
annual report. that this requirement
would be too severe. as many per-
sons not specially trained in the law
and without any particular educa-
tional advantages may by 'carefui
study of the practice and of the use
jul arts learn adequately to prosecute
Fundamentally. knowl-
edge of the invention is more import
ant than knowledge of the rules, and
s often possessed by men of a type
If mind which does not acquire legal
readily.
1T is of far more Importance that