Hello everyone. I'm a new person on the forum mainly because I have a single big question related to the history of the machinery business. I'm a historian looking at machinery manufacturers in the middle of the 1900s. From the images and pamphlets I've seen, many makes produced specific machines that looked very similar- almost too similar! Does anyone know anything about piracy/copycats or perhaps legitimate licensing arrangements among manufacturers? As an example, the Huber Manufacturing Company produced tandem road rollers in the 1940s that look almost identical to those produced by Galion Iron Works. I know they were competitors, but is it common knowledge among machinery enthusiasts that companies like this shared secrets willingly, or am I right to assume piracy?
I believe what you are getting into are patent protections. As I understand them they are only good for seven years. After that time anyone can employ someone else's ideas into their own products. For an idea of how that works look up the court fights between Holt and Best Companies. It was so contentious that they eventually merged together and became Caterpillar. For patent piracy discussions run a search on China Patent Piracy.
One of the few ligitimate copy items I know of was when Pheniox in Wisconsin paid Lombard on the est coast $1000.00 a copy to produce the steam tracked log haulers around the turn of the century. Many early company histories have mention of litigation in the early years.
Thanks this is good information. I will be looking up more on the Caterpillar and Lombard issues- hopefully other examples pop up in my search. If anyone else has more ideas when they check the thread, I'd still be interested in more leads.
For years, using truck manufacturing as an example. The only thing different from one model to another {except for Mack] was the cab, hood and wiring design. Most were using the same engines, transmissions, suspension and steering parts. The cooling system was one of the few things that varied. Most were using the same quad headlamps, door latches, air horns-tooters, wiper parts. So the only difference was the effect the design engineer got while practicing his origami for his new cab design. Frame rails are pretty much the same material from one truck to another, the equivalent of X-10 steel. So there is alot of copying in some areas of machinery. Truck Shop