United States v. Bausch & Lomb Optical Co.

3 F.R.D. 331, 61 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 86, 1943 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1598
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJanuary 15, 1943
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 3 F.R.D. 331 (United States v. Bausch & Lomb Optical Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Bausch & Lomb Optical Co., 3 F.R.D. 331, 61 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 86, 1943 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1598 (S.D.N.Y. 1943).

Opinion

LEIBELL, District Judge.

The Government’s motion for a partial summary judgment, or in the alternative for a preliminary injunction, is denied. It is the second motion of this kind made by the Government in this suit instituted “against the above named defendants in order to prevent violations by them jointly and severally of Sections 1 and 3” of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, 15 U.S.C.A. §§ 1, 3. The first motion was heard by Judge Goddard of this Court in July 1942. He granted a partial summary judgment holding unlawful certain sublicenses, issued by the defendant Panoptik Company, Inc. to wholesalers and retailers of its bifocal lenses, fixing their resale prices. These and certain administrative provisions of the wholesale and retail sublicenses clearly established them as the framework of an unlawful distribution system, in restraint of interstate trade. The sublicenses fell under the ban of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in the case of United States v. Univis Lens Co., 316 U.S. 241, 62 S.Ct. 1088, 86 L.Ed. 1408.

On the motion heard by Judge Goddard, the Government sought a ruling that the sublicenses to the wholesalers and retailers were the result of a conspiracy, to which all of the defendants were parties, and that [332]*332“the provisions in the manufacturing licenses dated October 30, 1934, and any supplemental or amendatory agreement relating thereto, between defendant Panoptik Company, Inc., and defendant, American Optical Company and between defendant Panoptik Company, Inc., and defendant, Bausch & Lomb Optical Company which have a bearing upon, or in any way relate to, the execution or enforcement of the said sublicense agreements between defendant Panoptik Company, Inc., and the optical wholesalers and retailers are unlawful and in violation of Sections 1 and 3 of the Sherman Act”.

The defendant corporations did not object to the entry of a decree declaring the wholesale and retail sublicenses issued by Panoptik unlawful and granting an injunction restraining the defendants from enforcing the provisions thereof or from entering into similar sublicense agreements thereafter. One of the corporate defendants, American Optical Company, was also willing that certain provisions of the manufacturing license issued by Panoptik to American Optical, to wit, paragraphs 15 and 16 and part of the first sentence of paragraph 17 (relating to the sublicenses issued to wholesalers and retailers) should be similarly adjudged unlawful and action thereunder enjoined. (The paragraphs are set forth on a sheet annexed to this opinion.) 1 The defendant, Bausch & Lomb, contended before Judge Goddard that the Court could not deal piecemeal with the provisions of the manufacturing licenses issued by Panoptik, that each manufacturing license should be dealt with in its entirety, and should stand or fall as a whole. In its proposed decree submitted to Judge Goddard the Government went beyond the scope of its notice of motion and sought to have all of paragraph 17 of the manufacturing licenses issued by Panoptik to American Optical and to Bausch & Lomb declared unlawful and void, and to have an injunction issued accordingly.

Judge Goddard ruled that he would not pass upon the issue of conspiracy on the [333]*333motion submitted to him. He held that the wholesale and retail sublicenses issued by Panoptik were contracts in restraint of trade, unlawful, null and void. But he made no ruling on any of the provisions of the manufacturing licenses issued by Panoptik to American Optical Company and to Bausch & Lomb Optical Company. The issues in respect to the manufacturing license agreements, as well as the issue of conspiracy, were reserved for the trial of the action.

On the present motion the Government asks “for a summary judgment in part, pursuant to Rule 56 of the Rules of Civil Procedure [28 U.S.C.A. following section 723c], or, in the alternative, a preliminary injunction, pursuant to Section 4 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C.A. § 4, on the ground that the defendants have entered into cross-license agreements of competing patents which fixed prices”; and declaring (1) that the corporate defendants have conspired to restrain interstate trade and commerce in ophthalmic lenses by fixing prices, terms and conditions of sale of “Ful-Vue” and “Panoptik” lenses; and (2) declaring that the agreement of October 30, 1934, whereby the Panoptik Company licensed the two other corporate defendants to manufacture and sell “Panoptik” lenses under patents controlled by Panoptik Company, Inc., and another agreement, also dated October 30, 1934, whereby American Optical Company licensed Bausch & Lomb to manufacture and sell “Ful-Vue” lenses under patents owned by American Optical Company, are unlawful and in violation of Sections 1 and 3 of the Sherman act and should be cancelled. (3) An injunction restraining the corporate defendants from adhering to or enforcing said cross-license agreements and from making any such licenses or agreements in the future is also sought.

The contention that the manufacturing license agreements are unlawful is based principally on paragraphs 15, 16 and 17 of the Panoptik licenses and paragraph 12 of the American Optical license. But paragraphs 15 and 16 of the Panoptik license agreement have in effect been nullified by the judgment entered on Judge Goddard’s decision declaring unlawful the wholesale and retail sublicenses. The same is true of part of the first sentence of paragraph 17. The alleged illegality of the balance of paragraph 17 of the Panoptik license fixing manufacturers’ sale prices (which is similar to the provisions of paragraph 12 of the manufacturing license issued by American Optical) was squarely placed before Judge Goddard by the Government’s proposed judgment and the effect of his decision was to reserve that issue for the trial. The patents for “Ful-Vue” lenses expired July 7, 1942 and the license to manufacture “Ful-Vue” lenses issued by American Optical Company to Bausch & Lomb Optical Company terminated with the patent. This is probably the reason why no relief in respect to said agreement was sought on the motion before Judge Goddard.

By the present motion the Government really asks that the determination of Judge Goddard and the provision of his decree — “that the remaining issues upon the complaint and answers be and they hereby are reserved for trial and the entry of this decree is without prejudice to the determination thereof” — should be reconsidered by this Court. The reason given is the fact that the trial of the action will be postponed for the duration of the war, on a request of the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Navy addressed to the Attorney General of the United States. Apart from the question of the right of a party to make more than one motion for a summary judgment under Rule 56, F.R.C.P. (which is not recognized in the New York State Courts under a like rule, Rule 113 of the Rules of Civil Practice; Edora Garment Co. v. Rothman, July 6, 19342) it is my opinion that the reason given for this second application is insufficient and that there are strong reasons for holding to the decision of Judge Goddard that the remaining issues should be judicially determined after a trial.

The issue of conspiracy cannot be determined properly from the few documents submitted by the Government on this motion.

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Bluebook (online)
3 F.R.D. 331, 61 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 86, 1943 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1598, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-bausch-lomb-optical-co-nysd-1943.