Fargo Glass & Paint Co. v. Globe American Corp.

101 F. Supp. 460, 1951 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2052
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedNovember 6, 1951
DocketCiv. A. No. 46 C 1079
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 101 F. Supp. 460 (Fargo Glass & Paint Co. v. Globe American Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fargo Glass & Paint Co. v. Globe American Corp., 101 F. Supp. 460, 1951 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2052 (N.D. Ill. 1951).

Opinion

IGOE, District Judge.

Findings of Fact

The Court-finds:

1. Plaintiff, Fargo Glass & Paint Company (hereinafter referred to as “Fargo”), is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of North Dakota since 1917, having its principal offices at Fargo, North Dakota.

2. Defendant, Globe American Corporation (hereinafter referred to as “Globe”), is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Indiana since 1930, having its principal offices at Kokomo, Indiana.

3. Defendant, The Maytag Company (hereinafter referred to as “Maytag”), is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware since 1925, having its principal offices at Newton, Iowa.

4. From 1935 to the present time, except during World War II, when major home appliances were not available, Fargo has engaged in the business of a distributor of home appliances.

5. Since 1930, Globe has operated two manufacturing divisions, one at Macomb, Illinois, known as the “Macomb Division”, and the other at Kokomo, Indiana, known-as the “Kokómo Division”. The Macomb Division has manufactured various types of agricultural equipment. During the period from 1930 to the present time (except during the period from 1942 through part of 1945, when it was engaged in the manufacture of life boats and other equipment for the Government), the Kokomo Division has manufactured various types of stoves and ranges.

6. In 1937 the Kokomo Division commenced the manufacture of gas ranges under the name of “Dutch Oven”, or “Globe Dutch Oven”, and sold these ranges in interstate commerce. These gas ranges are hereinafter referred -to as “Dutch Ovens”.

7. The Dutch Oven combines two utilitarian features — automatic shut-off and heat retention. No other gas range on the market has the unique combination of these two features.

[462]*4628. Globe nationally advertised Dutch Ovens with declarations as follows:

“Exclusive, The Only Range In The World That Automatically Turns Off Its Own Gas And Keeps On Cooking.”
“Only Dutch Oven automatically turns off the gas and keeps right on cooking.”

9. Globe is now, and since 1937 has been, the only manufacturer of automatic shut-off, heat-retained gas ranges in the United States.

10. No distributor of home appliances in the United States, including Fargo, could obtain automatic shut-off, heat-retained gas ranges from any manufacturer other than Globe.

11. Some of the features of the Dutch Oven are covered by United States patents owned by Globe, and the defendants have so advertised same.

12. For several years prior to 1945, Globe made plans for the post-war reconversion of the Kokomo Division to peacetime work, and for the post-war distribution and sale of Dutch Ovens throughout all of the States of the United States and the District of Columbia.

13. By 1944, Globe determined to confine the manufacturing facilities of the Kokomo Division to the manufacture of Dutch Ovens exclusively.

14. In 1944, it sold its solid fuel stove business to the Indianapolis Stove Company.

15. In 1944, it engaged the engineering firm of Sanderson & Porter of New York City to study and submit plans for plant arrangement of then existing and new facilities of the Kokomo Division; said firm completed its study and rendered its report to Globe.

16. In 1944, it engaged the engineering firm of Barnes & Reinecke of Chicago, lllinios, to design and engineer tools and features and to lay out methods for Dutch Oven production.

17. 'In November, 1944, Globe authorized the expenditure of $36,000 for advertising Dutch Ovens in national publications during the year 1945.

18. Globe set up reserves for post-war reconversion which by November, 1945, attained the amount of $200,000.

19. Globe had sufficient funds for postwar reconversion.

20. By July 18, 1945, Globe had established with Harris Trust and Savings Bank of Chicago, and The Northern Trust Company of Chicago, a revolving credit of one million dollars for the purpose of having free working capital in its post-war undertaking.

21. In July, 1945, Globe authorized the expenditure of approximately $50,000 towards the purchase of enameling furnaces and conveyor chains.

22. By September, 1945, Globe established a nation-wide system of distribution and sale for said Dutch Ovens through 65 distributors (that is, wholesalers), 45 key dealers (that is, dealers who undertook to buy Dutch Ovens in carload lots) and over 3,000 dealers located throughout the United States; said distributors agreed to buy Dutch Ovens from Globe and were to sell the same to dealers.

23. Globe furnished its distributors with forms of “Dealer Application for Globe American Corporation Dutch Oven Franchise” for use by the distributors in obtaining dealers to retail Dutch Ovens. Said 65 distributors, pursuant to the provisions of their distributors’ agreements which required them to establish dealers for Dutch Ovens, secured the execution of said forms by over 3,000 dealers and submitted said applications to Globe. By August, 1945, Globe had orders for approximately 35,000 Dutch Ovens.

24. On February 26, 1945, Globe entered into a distributor’s agreement with Fargo, granting Fargo a franchise for the sale of Dutch Ovens in the following territory:

The State of North Dakota.

■In the State of South Dakota, the counties of Roberta, Grant, Marshall, Brown, McPherson, Day, Edmunds, Campbell and Walworth.

The Minnesota counties of Kittson, Roseau, Marshall, Pennington, Red Lake, Polk, Norman, Clay, Wilkin, Traverse, [463]*463Lake of the Woods, Beltrami, Clearwater, Mahnomen, Becker, Otter Tail and Grant.

25. In its national advertising Globe listed Fargo as one of its distributors.

26. By September 19, 1945, Fargo had secured 154 dealers in its territory for Dutch Ovens.

27. Fargo is a competent distributor of home appliances.

28. Globe praised the work of Fargo in writing, and also in its publication, “Globe Trotter”.

■ 29. Maytag, in 1944 and 1945, was seeking to obtain a manufacturer who would manufacture gas ranges for it to distribute.

30. During the year 1945, Maytag sought to make an arrangement with the manufacturer of the “Chambers” gas range and with the manufacturer of the “Roper” gas range to manufacture gas ranges for it, but failed to obtain such an arrangement from said gas range manufacturers. •

31. During August and September 1945 Maytag through its officers, and Globe, through its officers, agreed that Maytag should purchase from W. Dow Harvey, Chairman of the Board of Globe, and his wife, the common shares of Globe owned by'them, totalling 32,535 common shares, in consideration of which Globe would grant to Maytag the exclusive distribution of Dutch Ovens.

32. Globe had outstanding 100,000 shares of common stock.

33. Maytag entered into a written agreement, dated September 19, 1945 with Alden P. Chester, President and a director of Globe and with Mark A. Brown and Earl B.

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Related

Fargo Glass & Paint Co. v. Globe American Corp.
201 F.2d 534 (Seventh Circuit, 1953)

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Bluebook (online)
101 F. Supp. 460, 1951 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2052, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fargo-glass-paint-co-v-globe-american-corp-ilnd-1951.