of the central court b y having judges from the Circuit Courts of Appeals serve con secutively o n the central court. T h e e s tablishment of a Single Court of Patent Appeals would have the advantage of more uniform treatment of patent cases, leading possibly to elimination of t h e granting b y the P a t e n t Office of some of the more "picayune" patents and to t h e elimination of litigation upon some of t h e more questionable cases of infringement and v a l i d i t y . We will hear more about compulsory licensing. Just what will be the "rules of t h e game", no one can predict. How ever, t h e disposition of the public and of the courts appears t o be opposed t o patent combines o r pools which attempt to dictate price control and limited production. I t does n o t seem unlikely that legislation may b e passed requiring some opening u p of concentrated patent monopolies in a n y given field where reasonable competition i s stifled and where the market is n o t freely supplied a t a reasonable price. T h e British system of compulsory licens ing o f patents furnishes a well-adminis tered example favored b y some for incor poration in our patent system. T h e Brit ish seldom grant compulsory licenses but, when they do, t h e y are justified and o n reasonable terms and t h e presence of this threat stimulates the patentee fully t o supply the market or let some other manu facturer in o n it. T h e success of a n y compulsory licens ing s y s t e m adopted i n this country will depend u p o n h o w fairly and impartially it is administered and whether it leaves a sufficient reward for individual enterprise
and sufficient protection for the invest ment of capital which can g o to work knowing that it h a s a fair chance t o pay for t h e research a n d development neces sary t o get started and t o retire its invest ment in a reasonable -time with a fair profit. Otherwise, w e a r e apt to see a lot of "high fences" built around research and manufacture, particularly in the chemi cal industries, with* inventors reverting
Data Published on Selective Service of tbte wide interest in BECAUSE this subject and the need for obtaining trained m e n for our Pro duction Army, w e g i v e below refer ences t o information we have pub lished o n occupational deferments, including those o f m e n in training, and the need for technically trained persons. Future developments will be brought to thie attention of our readers. Chemical and Engineering News ( N E W S EDITION- previous t o 1942)
Vol. 18 (1940), p a g e s 890, 1127 Vol. 19 (1941), p a g e s 129, 311, 4 5 7 , 459, 489, 520, 587, 681, 7 9 7 , 1 1 6 4 , 1412, 1464 Vol. 20 (1942), pages 110, 157, 4 7 2 , 579-80, 788, 812„ 837-39, 9 8 5 , 1099, 1100, 1219, 1294, 1392, 1514, 1536 Vol. 21 (1943), pages 27, 8 4 , 157 Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol. 3 3 (1941), pages 1, 135, 2 8 3 , 561 VoL 3 4 (1942), pages 2, 131, 2 5 9 , 648, 1134 Vol. 35 (1943), page 262
to t h e age-old right of secrecy for protect ing their inventions. Possibly t h e most extreme curtailment of patent rights which m a y be looked for is that a patentee's monopoly may b e limited to t h e mere right to s u e for t h e infringement of his patent and the right t o collect royalties under straight-forward licenses, such licenses containing no geo graphical, price, quantity, or use (field) limitations. Many would n o t argue strongly that a patentee should have t h e right to specify resale price of a licensed article nor necessarily t h e quantity of t h e licensed material or articles which may be produced under a patent license. H o w ever, geographical limitations are quite useful in promoting development of certain types of inventions a n d there are a n y number of instances where a patentee h a s been unwilling t o license his invention in direct competition with his investment but is quite willing to open u p the use of the invention in other fields. Therefore, a n y statutory limitation upon the terri tory which m a y be licensed o r upon t h e field of use which may b e licensed would very materially stifle t h e freedom with which most patentees are willing to licenr«i their inventions. In other words, much controversy and litigation could be avoided b y a fair statutory definition of a patentee's power t o license but too drastic a limitation upon licensing rights would tend to reduce free and open competition in industry rather than to encourage it. T h e common sense of t h e American indus trial public will dictate a sane middle-ofthe-road course. A N ADDRESS given on December 2 1 , 1942, before' tbe Rochester Section of t h e AMERICAN CHEMI CAL SOCIETY, Rochester, N e w York.
Student Affiliate Group Formed at Canisius College A
S T U D E N T A F F I L I A T E group was formed
" ^ January 20 at Canisius College, Buffalo, Ν . Υ., under t h e direction of T. Joseph Brown, head of t h e Chemistry Department, w i t h 2 1 members. T h e members are Samuel Albert, Leonard Amborski, Walter Brauer, James Caher, Stephen Chmielowski, Edward Colibersuch, Paul Corcoran, Rudolph Grandits, Louis J. Gugliuzza, William Kenline, William Kirchgessner, Walter Kosiba, Edgar Langenstein, Eugene Lorence,
Jerome Mruk, R a y m o n d Osgood, Francis Sayles, Michael Syracuse, John Szymanski, Kenneth Walters, Ziemba and Walter. The faculty m e m b e r s of the college have been very active in. the Western New York Section of the> AMCERICAN CHEMICAL
SOCIETY. Father H r o w n was a member of the Reception Committee at t h e 104th N a tional Meeting in September 1942, and at t h e present t i m e is a member of the local Public Relations Committeee. At the request o f t h e Executive Com-
mittee of the Western N e w York Section James H. Crowdle, professor of chemistry was appointed general gas protection of ficer and head of the decontamination or ganization for t h e city of Buffalo b y Mayor Joseph J. Kelly. Dr. Crowdle w a s also chairman of the Information Com mittee at t h e 104th A. C. S. Convention. Austin V . Signeur, assistant professor of chemistry, is Dr. Crowdle's assistant and is deputy head of t h e decontamination group for the city of Buffalo.
