Coffman v. Federal Laboratories, Inc.

73 F. Supp. 409, 75 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 175, 1947 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2318
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 6, 1947
DocketCiv. Nos. 3046, 4216
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 73 F. Supp. 409 (Coffman v. Federal Laboratories, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Coffman v. Federal Laboratories, Inc., 73 F. Supp. 409, 75 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 175, 1947 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2318 (W.D. Pa. 1947).

Opinion

McVICAR, District Judge.

The above actions consolidated for trial and all subsequent proceedings by order of March 14,(1947, involve suits by plaintiff to recover royalties alleged to be due the plaintiff from the defendant under a patent license agreement dated December 8, 1932. Defendant set up as a defense that the actions are barred by the Royalty Adjustment Act of October 31, 1942, 35 U.S. C.A. § 89 et seq. After final hearing, the Court makes the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law:

Findings of Fact

1. Roscoe A. Coffman (hereinafter referred to as the plaintiff) is a resident and citizen of Las Vegas, State of Nevada.

2. Federal Laboratories, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the defendant) is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, having its principal place of business in the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

3. Breeze Corporations, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as Breeze) is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New Jersey, having its principal place of business in the City of Newark, New Jersey. Although this Corporation was named as a party defendant in Civil Action 3046 it was not served with process, has not appeared and is not within the jurisdiction of this Court in said action.

4. The amount involved in these actions exclusive of interest and costs, exceeds the sum of $3,000.

5. On July 18, 1944, United States filed its Motion to Intervene in these actions, and on the same day its motion was granted and United States was allowed to intervene.

6. On December 8, 1932, plaintiff and defendant entered into an agreement, a correct copy of which is attached to the complaint filed in each action, and at the time of making the said agreement the plaintiff was the inventor and sole owner of the letters patent referred to in said contract. In said contract, plaintiff granted a non-assignable and exclusive license to defendant to make, use and sell devices [410]*410and shells embodying the inventions set forth in the patents mentioned in said agreement. It was provided that defendant, licensee, pay to plaintiff, licensor, the sum of $5,000 for the first 200 devices made for consumption of shells; also that defendant shall pay to plaintiff a “licensee fee or royalty equal to six percent (6%) of the Licensee’s net selling price on all devices and parts thereof sold”.

7. Subsequent to the making of the agreement between the plaintiff and the defendant dated December 8, 1932, Breeze purchased all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the defendant and became, has been and now is the sole owner thereof. On or before July 6, 1937, said Breeze became the owner of 98.9% of all the common stock of defendant, and at the same time all of the then outstanding preferred stock of defendant was retired and cancelled, and by January 8, 1940, Breeze had become the 100% owner of all the issued and outstanding stock of defendant, and has continued as sole owner of defendant ever since.

8. Plaiñtiff, in these actions, seeks an accounting from defendant, payment of the sums found to be due him, a termination of the aforesaid license contract and general relief.

9. On February 24, 1943, the U. S. Navy Department and on March 3, 1943, the U. S. War Department, gave plaintiff and defendant notice pursuant to the Royalty Adjustment Act of October 31, 1942, that the royalties provided for in the aforesaid license agreement of December 8, 1932, were believed to be unreasonable and excessive and that until the making of a royalty adjustment order, no further royalties should be paid to plaintiff.

10. Pursuant to the terms of the Royalty Adjustment Act, the Secretary of the Navy of the U. S., December 23, 1943, issued a royalty adjustment order N-7 and on December 18, 1943, Secretary of War of the United States issued royalty adjustment order W-9, copies of which were served on plaintiff and defendant. These orders read in part:

“(1) Fair and just rates and amounts of royalties for the manufacture, use, sale or other disposition of said alleged inventions are hereby determined, fixed and specified to be as follows:

“(a) Upon each starter sold to or for either the War Department or the Navy Department, the sum of Eight ($8) Dollars-each, and

“(fol. 53) (b) upon parts and cartridges-sold to or for either the War Department or the Navy Department, no royalties; but not to exceed the sum of Fifty Thousand ($50,000) Dollars to be paid to Licensor in each calendar year commencing January 1, 1943 in respect of starters-sold to or for the War Department and the Navy Department, added together.

“(2) Until further Order. License is hereby authorized to pay to Licensor, on-account of any manufacture, use, sale or other disposition of said alleged inventions-for the War Department heretofore occurred, or hereafter occurring while Sections 1 and 2 of said Act remain in force, royalties at the rate and not to exceed the-amount determined, fixed and specified in paragraph (1) hereof, and no more, under

“(a) The above-mentioned licensor agreement dated December 8, 1932, and

“(b) any license or arrangement between Licensor and Licensee entered into on or after the effective date of said notice and during the time that Sections 1 and 2 of said Act remain in force which in any respect continues, supplements, modifies or supersedes the license referred to in sub-paragraph (a) hereof or the present arrangement under which said royalties are paid.

“(3) Licensee is hereby directed to pay over to the Treasurer of the United States, * * * the balance in excess of the payments authorized by paragraph (2) hereof, of all royalties specified in the licenses or arrangements referred to in paragraph (2) hereof which (fol. 54) were due to Licensor and were unpaid on the effective date of said notice, or since said date have or may hereafter become due to Licensor, on account of any manufacture, use, sale or other disposition of said inventions for the War Department or the Navy Department heretofore occurred or hereafter occurring while Sections 1 and 2 of said Act [411]*411remain in force; and demand is hereby-made for payment forthwith of so much of said balance as is now due to Licensor.”

11. On October 31, 1944, plaintiff filed a motion for summary judgment against defendant which reads: “The plaintiff hereby moves for a summary judgment in his favor in the sum of $60,510.46, with interest on the sum of $10,510.46 from December 31, 1942, and on the sum of $50,000 from December 31, 1943, pursuant to Rule 56(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure [28 U.S.C.A. following section 723c], because the pleadings and the admissions of record show that there is not genuine issue as to any material fact requiring a trial as to that much of plaintiff’s claim, and that the plaintiff is entitled to judgment for that much of his claim as a matter of law against Federal Laboratories, Inc.”

This Court, by Judge Gibson, made an order December 15, 1944, which as amended by stipulation of January 18, 1945, reads: “And now, to wit, December 15, 1944, the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment for a portion of his claim having regularly come on for argument, after hearing all parties and due consideration, it appearing from the

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Related

Harms, Inc. v. Tops Music Enterprises, Inc. of California
160 F. Supp. 77 (S.D. California, 1958)
Coffman v. Federal Laboratories, Inc.
171 F.2d 94 (Third Circuit, 1948)

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Bluebook (online)
73 F. Supp. 409, 75 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 175, 1947 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2318, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coffman-v-federal-laboratories-inc-pawd-1947.