Friday fun - Edison’s mark

Filed under: Friday fun on June 27th, 2008 8:51
tagged: marking plates, patent marking, phonograph, thomas edison
1 comment

I’ve been collecting patent marking plates for several years.  We’re assembling the collection in the new office and it’s becoming a wonderful conversation piece.

Some of the plates are just plain fun to look at - turn of the century plates have some really neat and elaborate designs (while others are extremely utilitarian).  Others are neat to think about the story they represent - a notable invention, inventor and/or company (sadly, most of the companies I research based on the plates are no longer around).

And there’s a few that are interesting from the legal side of things.

Last week, I added a real gem to the collection that falls into all three of these categories - a plate from an Edison Amberola Phonograph (a Model A) - a phonograph manufactured under the patents of Thomas Edison.

Great design. Check.  The plate has great styling of the Amberola mark (it’s too small to get a decent photograph from my point and shoot, so you’ll have to trust me on this).

Notable invention and inventor. Check and check.  The plate proudly states that the marked phonograph is “manufactured under the patents of Thomas A. Edison, et als, at Orange, N.J., U.S.A.”  Very cool.

Interesting legal issue.  Yep - it’s got that too.  Check out the plate’s fine print:

“This machine is sold upon the condition that it is licensed to be used or vended only so long as…every possessor of this machine admits the validity of the above enumerated patents.”

How’s that for a bold mark?  I’ve never seen a statement like that on another marking plate, and the legal questions it raises are quite interesting.  I also wonder whether Edison was the first to use such scare tactics (or did he get the idea from someone else?).  Were they ever challenged?

The quest continues.