Osgood v. A. S. Aloe Instrument Co.

69 F. 291, 1895 U.S. App. LEXIS 2392
U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Eastern Missouri·Decided June 15, 1895·No. No. 3,839·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

ADAMS, District Judge.

This is an action for an alleged infringement of a copyright. An answer was filed, and complain[292] ant excepts to several of its parts. Tbe particulars will appear hereafter.

1. The first exception is taken because, as is said, tbe answer is not entitled in the case so as to agree with the names of the parties as they appear in tbe amended bill. This, if true, is not ground for exception at all. Tbe remedy for such failure is to move to take tbe answer from tbe files. But, as a matter of fact, tbe answer is not defective in tbe particular complained of, as there appears to be an appropriate beading, as follows: “The Answer of tbe Aloe Instrument Company, Defendant, to tbe Amended Bill of Complaint cf Adelaide H. Osgood, Complainant.” This is a perfect title, and it is not rendered imperfect by tbe fact that tbe pleader premised this beading by tbe style, “Osgood vs. Aloe.” Tbe first exception is, therefore, disallowed.

2. The second exception is taken because, as is said, -the answer filed in tbe cause does not appear to be sworn to by any officer or representative of defendant corporation. If such were in fact true, it does not afford ground for exception to tbe answer, either for insufficiency, scandal, or impertinence. The proper remedy for this, also, is to move to take tbe answer from the files. However, I do not think the allegation in tbe exception is true, for tbe following reasons: Tbe answer referred to concludes as follows: “In testimony whereof tbe said defendant, the Aloe Instrument Company, has caused its corporate name and seal to be hereto affixed by Sidney Aloe, its president.” The affidavit is made by Sidney Aloe, in which be states that be has “read tbe foregoing answer, and knows tbe contents thereof, and that tbe same is true, of his own knowledge,” etc. Preceding this affidavit, at the end of tbe answer, be signs himself as president of the A; S. Aloe Instrument Company. This exception is therefore disallowed.

3. The third exception is for impertinence, and excepts to that part of defendant’s answer which reads as follows:

“The defendant, further answering, denies that the hook marked ‘Complainant’s Book,’ of which profert is made in the said amended hill of complaint, is a true and substantial copy of the said copyrighted hook, hut avers that 1ho xitle-page of the book so marked had been removed, and another page substituted therefor, which substituted page contains matter materially and vitally different from the matter contained on the title-page and the page immediately following the title-page of the copyrighted book, the matter on said pages of tiie said copyrighted book being fatally defective.”

This part of tbe answer, so far as it can be claimed to be responsive to any allegations of the amended bill, is responsive to that part of tbe amended bill reading as follows:

“And your orator marks one of her books, ‘Complainant’s Book,’ and is ready to produce the same in court, if required.”

So far as tbe portion of tbe answer excepted to consists of a denial, it is manifestly broader than tbe averments of tbe bill itself, and is manifestly an attempt to involve an affirmative defense in a denial of averments of tbe bill itself. It is not clearly apparent for what purpose the allegation of tbe bill above quoted is made. It is not clear that tbe complainant intends to state that tbe book [293] marked, “Complainant’s Book,” is a true or substantial copy of her copyrighted book. It is certain, however, that the defendant cannot enlarge the scope and meaning of the averment of the bill by expanding the denial beyond the allegations of the bill.

The remaining part of the answer excepted to, as above quoted, manifestly is intended to state new matter constituting an affirmative defense. In this, I think the pleader has failed. His averments are not specific enough. In order to state an affirmatiye defense in the respect contemplated in this part of the answer, the pleader should make it appear affirmatively that the title-page of the book of which proferí is made was removed by or at the instance of the complainant, and another page substituted therefor, after the publication of the book was made; for, if this change were made prior to the publication, it might have been entirely proper and necessary so to do to conform to the true and legal notice of copyright. The pleader should also state the facts and particulars in respect of which the matter on the title and next following page of the copyrighted book are fatally defective, rather than to state, as he does, that the above-mentioned matter is “fatally defective.” I think the portion of the answer criticised by the third exception, as pleaded, constitutes no defense, and that the exception thereto for this reason also is well taken. It is therefore allowed.

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Osgood v. A. S. Aloe Instrument Co., 69 F. 291, 1895 U.S. App. LEXIS 2392 (circtedmo 1895).

69 F. 291 (Osgood v. A. S. Aloe Instrument Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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