Tesla Sues Marconi on Wireless Patent

A suit has been brought by Nikola Tesla against the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America, seeking the annulment of one of the chief Marconi patents. Simultaneously with the suit for the annulment Mr. Tesla has brought a suit against the Marconi Company for infringement of his patents.

This litigation is a new development in the Marconi Company's claim to ownership of all basic patent rights in the transmission of wireless messages.

The dispute over patent rights between the Marconi Company and Mr. Tesla began in August, 1914, when the Marconi Company sued Fritz Lowenstein, a German engineer, alleging that certain wireless apparatus sold by him. to the United States Navy was made in violation of Marconi patent 763,772. It was announced then that Mr. Tesla would testify for Mr. Lowenstein, alleging that the Lowenstein devices were developed from Tesla patents 645,576 and 649,621, which were granted prior to the Marconi patent.

In the present suit Mr, Tesla bases his action on the allegation that his two patents were granted in 1900, and that the Marconi patent was not granted until 1904. The bill of complaint asks for a decree adjudging the Marconi patent null and void, and asserts that the Marconi patent covers the inventions and combinations of apparatus described and claimed in the Tesla patents.

The answer of the Marconi Company denies that the Marconi patent covers the inventions or combination of apparatus described by the Tesla patents, and also denies that it is guilty of any infringement. The company claims that its patent was granted to Guglielmo Marconi on the proof of independent invention by Marconi, not due to or based on any invention of Tesla.

A hearing took place before Judge A. N. Hand, in the federal district court in New York City on August 5.