THE POOR INVENTOR

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 10, 7 October 1919, Page 3

THE POOR INVENTOR

HELPED BY NEW LAW PATENTS FOR £5 During the second reading debate in the House of Commons on the British Government's Patents Bill, which, in the words of Sir G. Croydon gives the "cheapest patents on earth," Sir Auckland Geddes, for the Government, summed it up by saying that'it would improvethp' position, of the inventor.. Slake.it-easier for; the-poor-inventor to get the fruits of his invention. Prevent abuse of our patent laws by-foreign inventors, who-obtain-protection here-but do not work'their, patents in this couii-. try, thus limiting industry here. Extend' tiie duration of patents from 14 to lfi years (on account of the check on the working of patents during , the war). l?aise the calling of patent iigents to a profusion, as it is "very necessary that thiy shall have n recognised position." Under clause 2 of the Bill there will be a class of patents different from anything wo have had lief ore. If .the patent is endorsed "Licence of, right" & licence to manufacture or work it can be negotiated as a matter of right, but without. the owner of tlio' patent; losing his rights in the invention. This would be a great boon to poor inventors who have not the money to work their inventions for themselves, because thuir royalty rights will b& safeguarded in every way. An extraordinary story of tho grip which an • American-controllrd company has upon tlii? machinery used ill the bootmaking industry of tho United' Kingdom wafl related, by a Scottish member, Mr. .Wallace. -He said 85-por cent. of the machinery working in England was the product of the British United Shoe Machinery Company, "This company, .though registered in Leicester, i 6 an American'company in disguise," he continned. "for the whole of the common, stock and the balance of the voting power is held in .America, and tliß American company controls the whole policy of the English company, "The story of the United Shoe Machinery Company, registered under the laws of New Jersey, is one of the most wonderful romances in a very romantic country. 11l about 12 years they succeeded in eliminating all competi'cion in the United States. They bought up every possible patent and devjje, and managed to amass profits of £10,MM,000. (l'he result of their operations in America -Ins been that at tho present time the United Shoe Machinery Company controls 98 per cent, of ■all the trade in America. They impose a royalty upon every pair of boots manufactured in America, and the same policy is being pursued here. > "How does this-English company conduct its business? V A boot manufacturer ■who wishes to buy shoe machinery'discovers that he cannot buy it from the British United Shoe Machinery Company, he can only lea.se it, and on very onerous conditions. For example, if - ftman wishes to install astitching. machine he must sign an agreement binding JiimBelf that wlienover. any. .othrir .machines in his place have run out he ivill on no account buy now' ones from any oliher firm. . "Once he is within the intslies of this company there, is no escape _ for liirn! Tlmt Is an intolerable position for a British industry !". So strong was the position'of the United Com piny, he said, in regard to its patent, riglbls that door after door is being clo3ed against British manufacturers, and unless action is taken it will be only a short time before the whole of the trade is in its vise-grip He moved the rejection of the Bill. Sir Edgsr Jones, who seconded this, thought there would be great disappointment with- the,'Bill. After .paying a tribute to the excellence of tlw machinery and the skill of tlve w.qTkers'of the United Company, Sir Edgar, speaking from his war-work experience with the Minis- ° try of s{unition«, said the Government found itself in the hands of the com- • pany during the war,, and at conference after conference there had to be compromises. When the great work of re-boot-ing tho whole of the Russian Army was '.undertaken, the Government had to compel "boot manufacturers nil over the coun-' try to introduce the comnany's machines. "They could do it because they had all : the leather,'' ho remarked of the Government. Tho result of this .was that tihe ■Governmeht. ■ under the duress of the war, "has tied up for ever practically every boot factory to this monopoly" . , Sir E, Croydon Marks, who hailed the Bill as a great reform, declared that the Bill would remedy nil the abuses which had been referred to. It would enable a workman at an expenditure of .£5 to get a patent for six years,' and that was something which no other country in the, world offers.