Le Roy v. Tatham (63 U.S. 132)

THIS was an appeal from the Circuit Court of the United States for the southern district of New York, sitting in equity.

It was a bill filed by the Tathams against the appellants, for an infringement of the patent for making lead pipe, which is particularly described in a former case reported in 14 Howard, 156.

The Circuit Court decreed that John Hanson and Charles Hanson, of England, were the first and original inventors and discoverers of the improvement in making pipes and tubes from metallic substances, set forth and described in the bill of complaint.

That the subject matter of the said invention and discovery is patentable.

That the complainants are the legal patentees and owners, within the United States, of the said invention and discovery, set forth in the bill of complaint, which sufficiently describes the same.

That the defendants have infringed and violated the said patent right of the complainants in the manner charged in the bill of complaint.

The court thereupon ordered a reference to a master to take an account of the damages sustained by the complainants. Upon the coming in of his report, sundry exceptions were filed by the defendants, which were overruled, and the court decreed the amount which the defendants should pay. An appeal from this decree brought the case up to this court.

The facts of the case are stated in the opinion of the court.

It was argued by Mr. Stoughton and Mr. Noyes for the appellants, and by Mr. Keller and Mr. Goddard for the appellees.

The principal ground upon which the counsel for the appellants sought to reverse the decree was, that the patent to the complainants was void, because the Hansons were not the original and first inventors of the improvements therein described and claimed.

The discussion of this proposition filled the court room with models and machines upon both sides, the description of which would be of little interest to the readers of this volume. They will be, therefore, entirely passed over.

Mr. Justice McLEAN delivered the opinion of the court.