Paris v. Patsy Frok & Romper Co.

273 F. 900
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedJune 6, 1921
DocketNo. 3630
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 273 F. 900 (Paris v. Patsy Frok & Romper Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Paris v. Patsy Frok & Romper Co., 273 F. 900 (9th Cir. 1921).

Opinions

MORROW, Circuit Judge

(after stating the facts as above). This appeal is before us upon the following stipulations, entered into by the parties:

“This appeal is taken by the defendants from said decree holding said design letters patent No. 54,809* valid, and it is hereby stipulated that the sole issue to be presented and determined upon this- appeal is whether or not said design letters patent No. 54,809 are valid, in view of said design letters patent No. 52,720. For the purposes of appeal it is stipulated that said William I. Zidell produced, and made a child’s romper in accordance [902]*902with the drawing of patent No. 54,809, as distinguished from a child’s romper conforming to the drawing of said patent No. 52,720, prior to the filing of his application for said patent No. 52,720.”

The design of letters patent No. 54,809 is as follows:

Figure 1 is a front view of the child’s romper. Figure 2 is a rear view of the same. In his application for patent No. 54,809, Zidell declared that he had “invented a new, original, and ornamental design for children’s rompers, of which the following is a specification; reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part thereof.” In the specification he claimed “the ornamental design for children’s rompers as shown.”

The design for letters patent No. 52,720 is as follows:

Figure 1 is a front view and Figure 2 is a rear view of the same. In his application for patent No. 52,720, Zidell declared that he had “invented a new, original, and ornamental design for children’s rompers, of which the following is a specification; reference being had to [903]*903the accompanying drawing forming part thereof.” In the specification he claimed “the ornamental design lor children’s rompers as shown.”

It will be observed that the declarations and specifications for the two applications are identical, except in the drawings, to which references are made. The plaintiff contends that the only question to be determined is whether the design in patent No. 54,809 presented to the eye the same general appearance as the design in patent No. 52,720. If it does, it is conceded that patent No. 54,809 is invalid; but if, on the other hand, patent No. 54,809 does not present to the eye the same general appearance as patent No. 52,720, then it is contended that patent No. 54,809 is valid, and defendant has infringed.

The jdaintiff finds support for this doctrine in the case of Gorham v. White, 14 Wall. 511, 20 L. Ed. 731. In that case Gorham & Co. had obtained a patent in July, 1861, for a new design in configuration and ornamentation for the handles of table spoons and forks under the. name of the “Cottage Pattern.” Defendant White had obtained two patents for designs, one in 1867, and another in 1868. These designs were also for the configurations and ornamentations on handles of forks and spoons. The statute under which these patents were obtained was section 11, Act of March 2, 1861 (12 Slat. 246-248). This statute was substantially a re-enactment of . section 3 of the Act of August 29, 1842 (5 Stat. 543), the first statute of the United States on the subject. The Act of March 2, 1861, provides, among other things, that the Commissioner of Patents might grant a patent for any new and, original design for a manufacture, or for any new and original impression or ornament to be placed on any article of manufacture, or for any new and useful pattern or print or picture to be either worked into or worked on or printed or painted or cast, or otherwise fixed on any article of manufacture, or for any new and original shape or configuration or any article of manufacture not owned or used by others before his, her, or their invention or production thereof, and prior to the time of his, her, or their application for a patent. It appears that the “Cottage” pattern of the Gorham & Co. design and the patterns of the White designs were all alike, the result of peculiarities of outline or configuration on the handles of the forks and spoons and of ornamentation thereon. The court, in discussing the provisions of the 'acts of Congress, said:

“The acts of Congress which authorise) the grant of patents for designs were plainly intended to give encouragement to the decorative arts. They contemplate not so much utility as appearance, and that, not an abstract impression, or picture, but an aspect given to those objects mentioned in the acts. * * * And the thing invented or produced, for which a patent is given, is that which gives a peculiar or distinctive appearance to the manufacture, or article to which it may be applied, or to which it gives form.”

The court proceeds:

“It is the appearance itself, therefore, no matter by what agency caused, that constitutes mainly, if not entirely, the contribution to the public which the law deems worthy of recompense. The appearance may be the result of peculiarity of configuration, or of ornament alone, or of both cojointly; but, in whatever way produced, it is the new thing, or product, which the patent law regards.”

[904]*904The court concludes with this statement:

“We hold, therefore, that if, in the eye of an ordinary observer, giving such attention as a purchaser, usually gives, two designs are substantially the same, if the resemblance is such as to deceive such an observer, inducing him to purchase one supposing it to be the other, the first one patented is infringed by the other.”

It will be observed that the court held that:

“The appearance may be the result of peculiarity of configuration, or of ornament alone, or of both cojointly.”

This was clearly within the scope of the statute of March 2, 1861, providing, as it did, that the invention might be “any new and original design for a manufacture” or “any new and original impression or ornament * * * to be placed on any article of manufacture, * * * or any new and useful pattern * * * to be either worked into or worked on * * * any article of manufacture, or any new and original shape or configuration of any article of manufacture.” The designs of both the plaintiff and defendant were for the “configurations” of the spoon and fork handles and the “ornaments” placed thereon.

[1] The Act of March-2, 1861, was repealed by the Act of July 8, 1870 (16 Stat. 198-216), and in lieu of section 11 of the former act section 71 (page 209) of the later act was enacted. The word “useful” was introduced into this section of the statute by this act of 1870 to qualify “shape or configuration of any article of manufacture,” and as thus amended resulted in section 4929 of the Revised Statutes of 1874; and this section, as amended by the Act of May 9, 1902 (32 Stat. pt. 1, p. 193), is the present statute under which this case is to be determined. It provides:

‘‘Any person who has invented any new, original, and ornamental design for any article of manufacture * * * may * * * obtain a patent therefor.”

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273 F. 900, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paris-v-patsy-frok-romper-co-ca9-1921.