page_title: United States v. General Electric Co.
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: United States v. General Electric Co. / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a photograph on a website of the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of American History of an early (1905) GE tungsten filament incandescent light bulb. The Smithsonian Institute is an agency of the US Govt, which by law cannot own copyright. The image is therefore in the PD. The picture is of a tungsten filament lamp embodying the invention of US Pat 1,018,502, which was one of those involved in the 1926 US v GE litigation.
context_page_description: United States v. General Electric Co., 272 U.S. 476, is a decision of the United States Supreme Court holding that a patentee who has granted a single license to a competitor to manufacture the patented product may lawfully fix the price at which the licensee may sell the product.
context_section_description: GE owned three patents that “cover[ed] completely the making of the modern electric lights with the tungsten filaments.” GE accounted for 69% of total manufacture and sale of incandescent light bulbs, and Westinghouse, 16%. GE licensed Westinghouse to manufacture and sell light bulbs on the condition that Westinghouse should sell at prices that GE fixed and changed at its discretion.
caption: GE tungsten filament lamp embodying the invention of US Pat 1,018,502 -- one of those involved in the 1926 US v GE litigation
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