The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-03-25
OFFICIAL
GIVES STAND
On RADIO
Harry B. Thayer, A. T. and T.
President, DiscIaims Mo-
nopoIy Desire.

The position of the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company with
regard to the radio patent contro-
versy has been clearly set forth in
president of the company, to the
employees of the Bell system. In his
statement, Mr.. Thayer says:
"A monopoly either of broadcast
ing for entertainment of the public
or for hire is not desirable from any
point of view. There has been no
danger and is no danger Of such
monopoly.
For the present we shall con
tinue to operate our own experiment
tai broadcasting station, making its
facilities available under reasonable
rules in the public interest for those
who wish to test broadcasting as d
medium for attracting the public's
notice. Far from desiring the sole
responsibility for broadcasting, it is
our strong belief that in the pub.
! lies interest and in our own in
terests nothing should be allowed TO
! interfere with any development of
| it that may be proved to be bene
| fetal. We heartily favor Govern
ment control of such activities and
the Federal legislation that is pend
ing has our cordial support"
In his statement Mr.. Thayer de-
clares that the telephone company's
interest in radio began sometime be-
! fore the war when they began de-
velopment of the vacuum tube. The
General Electric Company had also
undertaken the same thing, and as
an inevitable result, each company
acquired inventions and improve
ments of mutual usefulness
Cooperation i'm War.
During the war, he says. each
| company put aside considerations of
| patent ownership, and there was
| rapid cooperative development of
| this apparatus in it's application to
| transmission by wire and wireless.
when the war ended the neces-
sity for this emergency disregard
Of patent rights, a valuable art had
| been developed which no one in the
business of communications could
use without infringing upon the
rights of others.
Under such conditions there
could be no further manufacturing
or certain apparatus, nor further de-
velopment of this art, and the Navy
Department of our Government re-
quested this company and the Gen
eral Electric Company to try and
relieve the situation for the general
welfare.
In response to this request. ne
gotiations were initiated and carried
through to an arrangement of cross
licenses to which other owners of
patents In this field were afterward
ADMITTED. For practical operation
unoer TINS Government, it was neces-
sary that the parties to the agree
ment be given the specific uses Of
the apparatus in question that were
logical to their business"
Inc company's prime purpose.
Mr.; mayer declares, in operating
unoer these licenses has been such
development Of the radio art as
would be useful in relation tn +eIo'
phone service.
When the widespread interest IN
radio began to be manifest there
was flood OF requests for broad.
casting equipment, Mr.. Thayer de-
clares.
Cost Not Realized.
CONSIDERATION of many of these
applications disclosed that all of the
economic factors involved, as we'll
as the high costs Of operation and
maintenance. had not been fully
realized. From the financial stand.
point II would have been profitable
to manufacture and install all the
Droadcasting apparatus sought for.
we deemed it a better policy, how.
ever, to point out all the factors
ana risks of the situation and for
those wishing to broadcast, to offer
our station at moderate rates, so
TAR as our allotted time limits for
broadcasting would permit.
With approximately 400 stations
IN the United States using the
inventions without license from the
phone company, Mr.. Thayer saws II
became a matter Of ordinary ur,,.
dence TO institute legal proceedings
that would establish the ownership
OF patents. They selected, he saws.
nearby station, in New York IN
niVNiY NSey1