Western Glass Co. v. Schmertz Wire Glass Co.

226 F. 730, 141 C.C.A. 486, 1915 U.S. App. LEXIS 2255
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedJuly 28, 1915
DocketNos. 2015, 2021
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 226 F. 730 (Western Glass Co. v. Schmertz Wire Glass Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Western Glass Co. v. Schmertz Wire Glass Co., 226 F. 730, 141 C.C.A. 486, 1915 U.S. App. LEXIS 2255 (7th Cir. 1915).

Opinion

I’ER CURIAM

(BAKER and MACK, Circuit Judges). These appeal; were argued before the late Judge SEAMAN and ourselves. A decree and an opinion giving the views of the court were prepared by Judge SEAMAN, and were handed down. Thereupon the Western Glass Company filed a petition for a. rehearing. Upon consideration thereof the three judges concluded that the decree and opinion ought to he somewhat amended. Drafts of these amendments were pre-paren by judge SEAMAN; and the survivors of the court as then constituted, after a further review of the case and an examination of the subsequent citations of Dowagiac Co. v. Minnesota Co., 235 U. S. 641, 35 Sup. Ct. 221, 59 L. Ed. 398, and Continuous Co. v. Schmertz Co., 219 Fed. 199, 135 C. C. A. 85, now order that the following opinion and decree, as prepared and as amended by Judge SEAMAN, be recorded as the opinion and decree of the court, and that the petition for rehearing be overruled in all other respects.

Statement of case, prepared by Judge SEAMAN:

‘These are appeals from a decree of the District Court on an accounting for damages and profits arising from infringement of the patent in salt. No. 2015 is an appeal by the Western Glass Company, defendant below in the infringement suit, for reversal of this decree; and No. 2021 is a cross-appeal by the Schmertz Wire Glass Company and the Mississippi "Wire Glass Company, complainants below, for modification thereof.

The decree upon the accounting proceeds under the decision of this court in Western Glass Company v. Schmertz Wire Glass Company et al., reported 185 Fed. 788, 109 C. C. A. 1, for the infringement there adjudged. In the decree below in that suit, which was affirmed on appeal, an injunction having issued, defendant changed its method oí manufacture from the so-called “Schmertz process,” adjudged to be an infringement to the so-called “three-step process,” and this [732]*732change was made on February 10, 1910. The complainants below thereupon sued-for infringement by that method, resulting in a decree of noninfringement ([C. C.] 178 Fed. 973), affirmed by this court (195 Fed. 760, 115 C. C. A. 459). Thus the period of infringement embraced in the present decree terminates on February 10, 1910, pursuant to the ruling in the last-mentioned suit, and the year 1908 is excluded therefrom under an arrangement made between the parties.

The issues on the accounting were referred to and heard by a master, who made an extended report of the testimony and further reported his conclusions, in substance: That, while the defendant had realized profits, they were not proved with sufficient clearness; that a noninfringing process had been open for defendant to use during the entire period of alleged infringement, and that it was not liable for profits; and that no damages could be lawfully imposed. On exceptions to the master’s report filed by the complainants below, the matters reported were reviewed by the trial court, resulting in the decree from which this appeal is brought, whereby the conclusions of the master are overruled, and recovery is awarded the complainant for profits amounting to $47,143.84.

In the opinion filed below ([D.- C.] 203 Fed. 1006) various claims made for profits and damages are overruled, but the cross-appeal does not assign error upon such exclusions, nor upon the exclusion of claims for damages. The following are stated in the opinion as items and computations which enter into the decree of profits:

“The only question remaining is the amount of profits to be repaid by defendant for its infringement during the two periods before and after the contract term; that is, for 1907, and January 1, 1909, to February 10, 1910. Taking the figures from defendant’s account books, and allowing for profits on non-wire glass for 1907 and January 1,1909, to February 10, 1910, amounting to $16,789.57, the account should, I think, be stated as follows:
Increase of assets in 1907, less $2,500 paid-in capital-$14,139.74
Increase January 1, 1909, to September 20, 1909, including $18,000 dividends paid. 24,681.38
Increase September 20, 1909, to February 10, 1910. 20,520.92
Amount expended for patent litigation. 6,630.62
$65,792.66
Deduct profits on non-wire glass during same periods... 16,789.57 $49,003.09
Interest at 5 per cent, on net profits of $49,003.09 from July 1, 1909, to April 1, 1913, 3 years 9 months. 9,188.08
Gross amount for profits chargeable to defendant. $58,191.17
Deductions for interest on capital:
5 per cent, interest on $72,503.68, capital in 1907, for 1 year. 3,625.18
5 per cent, on $131,797.70, capital January 1, 1909, for 8 months 20 days... 4,729.55
5 per cent, on $138,479.08, capital September 20, 1909, for 4 months 20 days.,.... 2,692.60 11,047.33
Net sum chargeable to defendant for profits. $47,143.84
“The figures for profits on non-wire glass during the infringing periods were taken from the figures 'found in complainant’s brief, page 19. The figures for' defendant’s gross profits during the infringing period, and for interest on [733]*733capital, were taken from the accounting record, pages 021-623. In computing interest iti favor of complainants on defendant’s net profits on wire glass, July 1, 1009, was taken as an average date between the beginning and,end of the infringing period, excluding the year 1008. A decree should be entered for complainants April 1, 1913, for $17,143.84, with costs.”

In No. 2015 the Western Glass Company assigns error in respect of the aggregate allowances of profits and not in respect of any items entering therein.

hi No. 2021 the cross-appeal assigns error upon the following items entering- into the computations of profits, namely, (1) for the deductions stated for interest on capital $11,047.33, as a credit in favor of the defendant; (2) for each of the allowances respectively so credited ; (3) for refusal to allow as the net amount chargeable to the defendant the sum of $58,191.17; and (4) for error in allowing “interest to defendant on capital found to have been invested in its business, such capital not being devoted solely to the infringing business.”

Opinion of the court, prepared by Judge SKAMAN:

The decree on accounting for infringement, for review; of which these appeals are brought, is in conformity with the opinion filed by the District Judge, as reported 203 Fed. 1006. No. 2015 is an appeal by defendant below for reversal of the decree, and No. 2021 is a cross-appeal by the complainants for correction thereof in the award of profits. The fact of infringement is settled by the prior decree, affirmed by this court (185 Fed. 788, 109 C. C. A.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Union Carbide Corp. v. Graver Tank & Mfg. Co.
243 F. Supp. 358 (N.D. Indiana, 1963)
Carter Products, Inc. v. Colgate-Palmolive Company
214 F. Supp. 383 (D. Maryland, 1963)
Julius Hyman & Co. v. Velsicol Corp.
233 P.2d 977 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1951)
Horvath v. McCord Radiator & Mfg. Co.
100 F.2d 326 (Sixth Circuit, 1938)
Ruth v. Stearns-Roger Mfg. Co.
13 F. Supp. 697 (D. Colorado, 1935)
Levin Bros. v. Davis Mfg. Co.
72 F.2d 163 (Eighth Circuit, 1934)
Cincinnati Car Co. v. New York Rapid Transit Corp.
66 F.2d 592 (Second Circuit, 1933)
Permutit Co. v. Refinite Co.
27 F.2d 695 (Second Circuit, 1928)
Carson v. American Smelting & Refining Co.
25 F.2d 116 (W.D. Washington, 1928)
Producers' & Refiners' Corp. v. Lehmann
18 F.2d 492 (Eighth Circuit, 1927)
Christensen v. National Brake & Electric Co.
10 F.2d 856 (E.D. Wisconsin, 1924)
Globe-Wernicke Co. v. Safe-Cabinet Co.
144 N.E. 711 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1924)
Fox Typewriter Co. v. Underwood Typewriter Co.
287 F. 447 (Sixth Circuit, 1923)
Union Electric Welding Co. v. Curry
279 F. 465 (Sixth Circuit, 1922)
W. W. Sly Mfg. Co. v. Pangborn Corp.
276 F. 971 (D. Maryland, 1921)
Computing Scale Co. v. Toledo Computing Scale Co.
279 F. 648 (Seventh Circuit, 1921)
Oehring v. Fox Typewriter Co.
251 F. 584 (Second Circuit, 1918)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
226 F. 730, 141 C.C.A. 486, 1915 U.S. App. LEXIS 2255, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/western-glass-co-v-schmertz-wire-glass-co-ca7-1915.