Wilson v. Bristol-Myers Co.

118 A.D.2d 50, 503 N.Y.S.2d 334, 1986 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 53586
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedJune 5, 1986
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 118 A.D.2d 50 (Wilson v. Bristol-Myers Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wilson v. Bristol-Myers Co., 118 A.D.2d 50, 503 N.Y.S.2d 334, 1986 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 53586 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Ross, J.

Defendants Bristol-Myers Company (Bristol-Myers) and Clairol Incorporated (Clairol), appeal from so much of Special Term’s order as denied their summary judgment motion to dismiss the first, third and fifth causes of action of the complaint, which allege unjust enrichment, negligence in the failure to prosecute a patent application, and breach of implied contract, and breach of fiduciary duty, respectively. The plaintiff, Carole C. Wilson, cross-appeals from so much of the Special Term order as granted the motion of defendants Bristol-Myers and Clairol for summary judgment to the extent [52]*52of dismissing the second cause of action of the complaint, which alleges fraud.

Defendant Clairol, a subsidiary of codefendant Bristol-Myers, "is a well-known marketer of hair care and cosmetic products and personal care appliances”. In this action, the plaintiff alleges that she and her husband, Robert P. Wilson (Mr. Wilson), while he was an employee of defendant Clairol, invented the so-called Clairol Mirror, and that the defendants allegedly wrongfully appropriated this alleged invention to their own use, without compensating plaintiff.

Since the very founding of our country, the laws of the United States have provided for the encouragement of inventors and the promotion of technological advances, through the use of patents for new and useful inventions.

The cornerstone for these laws is found in US Constitution, article I, § 8, clause 8, which reads, in pertinent part: "The Congress shall have Power * * * To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries”.

Pursuant to this constitutional authority, the first United States Patent Act became law in 1790 (see, 1 Deller, Walker on Patents, preface at V [2d ed 1964]). In 1984, a series of amendments were made to the Patent Act of the United States (see, for the legislative history and purpose of these amendments, 1984 US Code Cong & Admin News, at 5827). However, Patent Act § 101 (35 USC § 101), which is entitled: "Inventions patentable”, was not changed by the 1984 amendments, and it presently reads as it did in 1967, when plaintiff claims to have made her invention together with Mr. Wilson. Said section states: "Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title”.

The United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit stated in Vanity Fair Mills v Olga Co. (510 F2d 336, 338 [1975]), that: "To be patentable [under the laws of the United States] a product must be (1) useful, (2) novel, and (3) non-obvious. See, 35 U.S.C. §§ 101-103.”

More than 100 years ago, the Court of Appeals of this State held in Gillett v Bate (86 NY 87, 92 [1881]), that: "The acts of Congress, authorize patents to be issued for new and useful [53]*53inventions, and utility, and novelty are conditions precedent to the validity of a patent, and in actions for infringement, the want of these requisites is a good defense”. Subsequently, in Downey v General Foods Corp. (31 NY2d 56, 61 [1972]), a unanimous Court of Appeals decided: "The critical issue * * * turns on whether the idea suggested by the plaintiff was original or novel. An idea may be a property right. But, when one submits an idea to another, no promise to pay for its use may be implied, and no asserted agreement enforced, if the elements of novelty and originality are absent, since the property right in an idea is based upon these two elements” (accord, Ferber v Sterndent Corp., 51 NY2d 582 [1980]). This court has held in Bram v Dannon Milk Prods. (33 AD2d 1010 [1st Dept 1970]): "Lack of novelty in an idea is fatal to any cause of action for its unlawful use”.

Specifically, in her complaint, plaintiff contends that on April 16, 1967, while she and Mr. Wilson were considering the location of a cosmetic makeup mirror table in their home, they conceived the idea for a makeup mirror for home use. In an affidavit, plaintiff states that the purpose of the subject mirror would be to show a woman, allegedly, in a diversity of actual lighting conditions, through the use of a nonheat generating light source, that would avoid the perspiration problem. In other words, the concept or idea of plaintiff and Mr. Wilson consists of three parts: (1) a makeup mirror providing various types of light to duplicate the kind of lighting conditions under which the user will later be seen; (2) a "cold”, i.e., fluorescent, light source; and, (3) filters to change the color characteristics of the emitted light.

Furthermore, according to plaintiff’s affidavit, before plaintiff and Mr. Wilson came up with this mirror idea, all of the "then existing and available illuminated makeup mirrors [suffered from the basic fault of showing] a woman in generally flattering light, whereas [the woman] should really be looking at herself in 'true light’; that is a woman should apply makeup under light conditions that replicate the light conditions under which she later will be seen”.

Based upon a review of the affidavit and examination before trial of the plaintiff, it appears that the plaintiff’s claimed familiarity, concerning the way in which an illuminated makeup mirror should display the user, resulted from, inter alia, her experience with stage lighting techniques when she participated in the activities of the drama department, while she was attending college; her employment as a photogra[54]*54pher’s model and in photographic layout work for photographers; and, her employment in a public relations capacity by defendant Clairol for several months in 1962.

Mr. Wilson alleges in an affidavit, that: “Within a few days of the * * * conception of the variable light makeup mirror, I met with my wife at the studio of Art Schiffer, a professional photographer, where my wife and Art Schiffer demonstrated the operational feasibility of the concept utilizing various types of light sources and combinations of commercially available gel type and Kodak filters”.

The employment of Mr. Wilson commenced with defendant Clairol in the capacity of product manager in 1960, and, by the spring of 1967, when he and the plaintiff conceived the mirror idea, he had been advanced to the position of special products manager.

Promptly, after the plaintiff and Mr. Wilson developed their variable light makeup mirror (VLMM) concept, Mr. Wilson, in view of his employment obligations to defendant Clairol, alleges, in an affidavit, that he disclosed in confidence the VLMM idea to some of his colleagues and superiors at defendant Clairol; and that he pointed out to these persons the prominent role that the plaintiff played in creating the concept.

Furthermore, Mr. Wilson contends, both in an affidavit and an examination before trial, that the employees of defendant Clairol with whom he discussed the VLMM responded very favorably to the concept. Finally, in the summer of 1967, Mr. Wilson had a conference with William Moss (Mr. Moss), who was, at that time, vice-president of defendant Bristol-Myers and head of the legal department and patent counsel. In substance, Mr. Wilson stated, in an affidavit, that, in pertinent part: "Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
118 A.D.2d 50, 503 N.Y.S.2d 334, 1986 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 53586, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilson-v-bristol-myers-co-nyappdiv-1986.