Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
abolition of the system has been favored.
There was a long editorial in the Journal
of Commerce last week anent this subject,
and the suggestions made were certainly
of a very radical nature. As will be seen
from the excerpts below, this paper in-
sinuates that society would not be injured
in the least if patents were abolished alto-
gether, but, in the meantime, recommends
a certain recognition of the patentee's
rights to compensation during a limited
number of years.
* * * * * * *
After explaining how burdensome the
monopolies created by the patent system
are growing, this paper says: "The vast
fortunes won, not by inventors, but by the
promoters of and speculators in inventions,
are growing larger and more obnoxious,
and are responsible for very much of the
popular discontent and of the oppressive
characteristics sometimes incident to ac-
cumulated wealth which prepare the soil
for the seeds the Socialists sow.
"As a means of stimulating invention,
patent monopolies are wholly superfluous.
The inventor would invent whether he got
a patent for it or not. It is notorious that
very few inventors make any money; many
patents are commercially worthless; and
those that are valuable usually yield wealth
to the men who finance the invention, and
not to the mechanical genius who con-
structs the device. Some inventors who
combine financial with mechanical skill
have grown unnecessarily rich, but it is a
noteworthy fact that some of these men,
and among them celebrated supposed in-
ventors, never originated anything of any
considerable importance, but simply de-
veloped a knack of improving the inven-
tion of some more original mind.
"The invention is not wholly the work of
the inventar; if it were we would have as
much inventing in Asia and Africa as in
Europe and America. The invention cul-
minates in one man who builds upon a
foundation laid for him by his predecessors
Should the Patent System be
and under favorable conditions created for
Reformed?
him by the intellectual atmosphere and the
industrial system into which he was born.
ITS ABOLISHMENT SUGGESTED
The patent is largely unnecessary and the
HE evils of the American patent sys- inventor has a slender claim to it. " . . .
* * * * * *
*
tem are now being widely discussed
in technical journals throughout the coun-
The writer goes on to show that the pres-
try. This agitation is not a new one. It ent patent system is the basis for the ex-
has been a familiar topic for many years. tortionate demands made upon the public,
More light has been thrown on the subject, and is the corner-stone of most of the trusts
however, by the recent litigation between and monopolies, and augments his argu-
rival companies claiming patent monopo- ments by detailing the patents upon which
lies, whereby the many devices by which the leading trusts have been enabled to ex-
the restrictions of the patent laws are act enormous sums from the public, and
effected and circumvented, were exposed. says: "The patent system is being com-
It is claimed that as a result of the present monly used as an engine of oppression and
patent system, the development of original injustice, and it will have to be abolished
improvements has become well nigh impos- or reformed. There would be no objection
sible by reason of the opposition of the gi- to giving the patentee special rights in his
gantic combinations wnich discourage in- invention for five or seven years after it
ventions they do not control, and prevent goes into use. But there is no reason for
the use of improvements which might de- giving him a monopoly, and his pecuniary
preciate the value of their own patents.
interests are not thereby usually promoted.
Inventors and journals are not only bat- The law might forbid infringement upon
tling for a reform of the system of patent the patent for five or seven years except
monopolies, but in some quarters the total upon the payment of a royalty. This might
similar lines, and we are informed it
promises to be a grand success. It is not,
however, purely local, while the one pro-
posed would be entirely so, thereby confer-
ring benefits directly on the trade of this
city.
There is no reason why such an exhibi-
tion should not be a great artistic and
financial success. The public could be
drawn by musical entertainments, band con-
tests and other attractions. It would be
self-supporting—not only that, but would,
we think, pay a handsome dividend on the
investment.
The public and press have but a limited
idea of the importance and the magnitude
of the music trade industry in this city, and
of the men and firms to whom they are in-
debted for the pianos, organs and miscel-
laneous musical instruments that adorn
their homes and delight them in their leis-
ure hours. If proper steps are taken now
a Musical Instrument Exhibition could be
held some time in August.
It would
serve as the opening of the fall sea-
son, and around that time the majority of
the society people would have returned to
town. The matter should, however, be taken
in hand immediately, and intelligently fol-
lowed up.
The value of a Musical Instrument Ex-
hibition cannot be estimated exactly in dol-
lars and cents;—it would, we think, exer-
cise a beneficent influence toward leveling
prejudices and rivalries, and would demon-
strate to the country at large that the ac-
knowledged pre-eminence which New York
has maintained in the music trade field in
the past is still hers.
T
be obtained from the Patent Office, and its
amount might be adjusted in accordance
with some general rule, and based either
on the saving effected by the device or
upon the cost of making the device. Any
one who desired to make the article might
do so then upon condition of paying a reas-
onable toll to the inventor for a reasonable
period. There would then be no monopoly,
and the inventors as a class would be much
better remunerated than they are now,
though a few would not become multi-mil-
lionaires."
Winterroth & Co.
W
INTERROTH & CO. announce that
they have commenced the manufac-
ture of the Winterroth upright piano at
102 East Twelfth street, this city, and have
leased the upper floor of that building for
that purpose. They have engaged a staff
of competent piano makers, and intend
turning out a good medium grade piano.
They will retail this instrument in their
warerooms, 105 East Fourteenth street, and
will also handle the Steger piano, of Chi-
cago, and other first-class makes.
THE H. C. Winne Music Co. has been
recently , formed at Cooperstown, N. Y.,
with a capital stock of $2,000. The incor-
porators are N. E. Winne and H. C. Winne.
They are in line to correspond with manu-
facturers relative to taking on instalments.
IT IS announced that Chickering & Sons
will have direct charge of the retail depart-
ment of their business in Boston before
many weeks. The warerooms will prob-
ably be located in their handsome factory
building.
GEO. H. CHAMPLIN &CO., of Boston, have
opened new warerooms at 491 Washington
street. They will handle the McPhail
pianos.
THE Mueller Music Co., Council Bluffs,
la., have opened a branch store in Omaha,
Neb.
THE Augusta, Ga., Chronicle announces
that the firm of Peter A. Brenner & Co.,
of that city, will hereafter bear the title of
Brenner & Solomon.
MR. ZINKK will have charge of the new
Wissner warerooms in Newark, the opening
of which will taks place early next month.
C F. HANSON'S opera, "Princess Phosa,"
was given in Marlboro, Mass., last Monday
evening with the same cast as in the pre-
vious performance in Worcester. It was a
great success. It is expected that it will
be produced in Boston in the fall, and will,
very probably, have a long run.
THE New York Recorder gave the Wiss-
ner piano a nice "send-off" last week in
connection with their new warerooms in
Chicago.
A. P. ROTH, of Roth & Engelhardt, is
visiting the Western trade. He was in
Chicago when last heard from.