Opinion
No. 317.
May 6, 1929.
Appeal from the District Court of the United States for the District of Connecticut.
Bill in equity by the Edison Electric Appliance Company against the Fitzgerald Manufacturing Company charging infringement of design patent No. 61,605, granted October 24, 1922, to Charles P. Randolph, and assigned to the plaintiff, for an electric waffle Iron. From a decree, 32 F.2d 702, holding the patent valid, but not infringed, and therefore dismissing the bill of complaint, the plaintiff appeals. Affirmed.
A.D. Salinger, of Boston, Mass. (Fish, Richardson Neave, of Boston, Mass., of counsel), for appellant.
Charles L. Sturtevant, of Washington, D.C. (Sturtevant, Mason Porter, of Washington, D.C., of counsel), for appellee.
Before SWAN and AUGUSTUS N. HAND, Circuit Judges.
The design is in substance an addition of the prior art round waffle iron of Griswold to the glowing coil stove of Mersick Co. We find it unnecessary to pass upon the validity of the patent. If its validity be assumed, we agree with the District Court that there is no infringement by defendant. Although servile imitation is not required to constitute infringement, a patentee who claims only the design "as shown" is limited to substantially the form disclosed in his drawing. Ashley v. Tatum (C.C.A.) 186 F. 339; American Fabrics Co. v. Richmond Lace Works (C.C.A.) 24 F.2d 365. No feature of the plaintiff's design is precisely copied, and there are striking differences in configuration and general appearance — so much so that, if infringement were to be determined by our own inspection, we can see no reasonable excuse for a buyer to mistake defendant's article for plaintiff's. It is admitted that the trade will readily distinguish between them, but the opinion was expressed by several witnesses for the plaintiff that the ordinary customer might not. These witnesses were not disinterested. They sold plaintiff's goods, and naturally would resent defendant's competition. We find no error in the court's substituting his own opinion for theirs. The impression created by the design must be derived from the thing patented, and not by the selection of one or more features of which the observer particularly approves. See Whiting Mfg. Co. v. Alvin Silver Co. (C.C.A.) 283 F. 75, 81.
The decree is affirmed.