Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-03
UNIVERSAL RADIO
FACES MANY SUITS
Patent infringement Charges
Delay Service Planned for
First of Year.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

Baked by court action In its plan to
inaugurate on New Year day the frst
part Of its projected Nationwide radio
telegraph system, the Universal Wire
less Communications Co. now finds it
self facing a series of suits. The suits
charge infringement of radio communi-
cations patents held by the Radio Cor
poration OF America, General Electric
Co., American Telephone e. Telegraph
Co. and Western Electric Co.
The Universal company has an
nounced its readiness to open the first
links OF its proposed short-wave radio
with stations completed in IA cities.
But complications developed from the
recent order OF the Court Of Appeals Of
the District Of Columbia, which en-
Joined the Federal Radio Commission
from issuing licenses for the use Of the
40 wave lengths granted Universal q
year ago.
Rival Instituted Suit.
The stay order was sought by the
Intercity Radio Telegraph Co. Of Cleve-
land, an unsuccessful applicant for SIM
liar radio channels, with which it also
proposed to establish a national radio
telegraph system to compete with the
wire telegraphS. This order has pre-
vented the commission from issuing the
licenses necessary to permit Universal
to begin operating on a public service
basis January l, as required by the
commission in originally allocating the
wave lengths.
Independent OF the Intercity company'S
appeal, now render the legal status Of
Universal so complex 1t is improbable
that its service will be started in the
immediate future. UniverSal's IA COM
pleted stations are in New York, Buf-
falo. Detroit, Chicago, Cincinnati, Co
lumbus, Dayton, Boston, Providence,
Milwaukee, Trenton, N. j.; New Bruns-
wick. N. j.; Springfield, ILL.,, and Peo-
ria, Ill.
The patent suits began with three bills
Of complaint. filed in the United States
District Court in Buffalo, where the
main Offices of the Universal company
are located. One other suit was filed in
Federal District Court at Newark, N. j.
Legal Battle Looms.
The Buffalo suits are based on pat
entS relating to vacuum tubes, crystals
and their CIRCUITS as issued to the in
ventorS, Langmuir, Lowenstein, Cady,
Schottky, Housekeeper and Stoekle The
Radio Corporation of America Is the CO.
plaintiff in the separate suits, being
Joined as plaintiff in one by the &C.
eral Electric Co., in another by the A.
p. q T. Co. and in the third by the
Western Electric Co., manufacturing
subsidiary of the A. T. g. T. Co.
The New Jersey case is based upon
the De Forest feedback circuit patent,
recently decided In favor of DR.. Lee De
Forest by the United States Supreme
Court, but under which the Radio Cor
poration Of America and the A. T. & T.
have special license. The De Forest
Radio Co. was joined as a defendant in
this suit with Universal, but on account
Of its interest in the feedback patent
has not been charged with infringe
ment.
In the New Jersey case Judge William
N. Runyon has signed an order to show
cause why a preliminary injunction
should not be issued against the Univer-
sal company. This order Is returnable
in Newark on January 20. The order
gives the defendant until January 6 to
serve its replying afhdavits to the ap-
plication for injunction, and the plain
tiffs have until January Is to serve
afhdavitS in rebuttal.
DR.. John Nathansohn, Washington
representative Of the Universal COM
pany, mainly instrumental in procuring
UniverSalS allotment of wave lengths
from the Federal Radio Commission,
was in Chicago yesterday and could not
be reached for comment on the suits.
The only statement made by his ONCE
was that the Universal companys IA
stations are in experimental operation
and ready to go into commercial service.
They are prevented under the terms of
experimental license from handling
commercial traffic.
Copyright, 1880. by North American News
paper Alliance)