Opinion ID: 361048
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Laser Problem

Text: 29 The defendants take vehement exception to the district court's finding that the FM 390 had not reached the working prototype stage and was not ready for fabrication of the first production unit because of laser problems. They assert that any difficulty with the laser was of minor significance and that it could be corrected in due course. We note that Leonard Wemple, Director of Engineering for Foto-Mem, testified that the laser required frequent hand adjustment to keep it operating correctly, that the adjustment times were not satisfactory, that these continued to be problems after a new laser was purchased. There was also evidence, although the district court did not focus on it, from which it could be found that pains were taken at the shows to conceal the hand adjustment of the laser. The laser was an integral part of the operation of the FM 390. The use of the microfiche photodata cards depended on a laser that would work rapidly and accurately. It was not error for the district court to conclude that, at the time the confidential memorandum was disseminated, the laser problems contradicted the assertions that there was a working prototype of the FM 390 and that the company was in the process of fabricating the first production unit.