Opinion ID: 377935
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The McCoy Line

Text: 42 In 1964, DuPont learned of a chartreuse fluorescent Glo-Line being sold by John McCoy in Seattle. McCoy told Greenwood, a DuPont salesman sent to investigate, that DuPont's 1949 records should contain inquiries from McCoy respecting fluorescent dyes useful in nylon. Greenwood found a sample of DuPont fluorescent dye, dated December 1949, in McCoy's possession. Greenwood's call reports reflect McCoy's allegations of having dyed nylon for over 15 years. McCoy said he had dyed yarn for lures since 1924. In a 1964 letter, McCoy said he had processed his Glo-Line since 1949. He said he made chartreuse fishing line for the last two years or longer. In 1965, McCoy said he used the 1949 dye on lines for tying nymphs. In 1975, McCoy gave a written statement that he had first sold fluorescent fishing line in late 1964. 43 Five witnesses (3 live, 2 by deposition) said they had seen or sold McCoy's fluorescent chartreuse fishing line at least once in the mid-1950's. Kawahara said he sold it in his Seattle store before the 1958 introduction of DuPont's non-fluorescent line. Severeid said he saw McCoy's chartreuse line in Kawahara's store before transferring to his new office in August 1958. Sivertsen said he saw McCoy's chartreuse line before moving into his new store in 1957. Schalkle said he saw McCoy's chartreuse line before his transfer to a new job in 1954. Earling said he saw McCoy's chartreuse line about the time he was married in 1954. 44 Thus five witnesses claiming to have seen McCoy's chartreuse fishing line testified from memory to events of twenty years past. Though accompanied by reference to concurrent events, their testimony was inconsistent with the evidence produced by McCoy, the alleged prior user, whose one consistent indication was that his earliest claimed use of chartreuse fishing line was after Keller's invention, and who in 1964 possessed no chartreuse dye manufactured prior to 1963. Severeid, Sivertsen, Schalkle and Earling had no corroborating documentary or physical evidence. All five witnesses said they saw only McCoy's chartreuse line, and though all said they saw it between 1954 and 1958, Berkley declined to review McCoy's available and offered sales records for 1952 through 1958. McCoy identified a 1964 invoice (two years after the DuPont patent issued) as representing one of his first sales of fluorescent line. McCoy's 1954 ad did not mention fluorescent fishing line, and his 1949 dye sample does not evidence use of fluorescent dye in a fishing line. The only physical evidence produced was a spool of line Kawahara said was one of the first he had purchased, and DuPont's unchallenged tests proved that line had not been made prior to 1962. 21 45 Berkley thus failed as a matter of law to carry its burden of proving prior use by McCoy. The attempt rests solely on uncorroborated oral testimony concerning events of long ago, contradicted by McCoy himself and by unchallenged results of scientific tests. Judged by appropriate legal standards, that testimony had insufficient probative value to make out a case of prior use that a jury could have found clear and convincing. Thus prejudicial error occurred in the instruction to the jury that it could find the DuPont patent invalid as anticipated by the McCoy line. 46