WIRELESS ACTION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 11, 12 July 1912, Page 7

WIRELESS ACTION

MARCONI AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SETTLEMENT DESIRED COMPANIES' AGENT OFFERS TERMS. By Telegraph.— Pr«w Association.— Copyri|ht. (Received July 12, 9.35 a.m.) MELBOURNE, This Day. Mr.' Fisk, resident engineer of the Marconi Company, has arrived from Sydney to endeavour to obtain a settlement of the differences between the Government, the Marconi, and the Telefunken Companieii. Mr. Fisk h empowered to offer to stop the litigation if a compromise is reached by the Government paying a very considerable sum and the companies handing over the Australian land rights of the combined patents. Mr. Frazer, Postnia6ter-General, announced in December last, that after very protracted negotiations with two of tho principal companies operating in Australia, the Marconi and the Telefunken, the Federal Government had been unable to arrive at a position that would justify it in accepting the responsibility of paying for the patent rights of either of those companies. Offers had beea made, and negotiations had proceeded, for a, very considerable period, and the Government had now decided that the urgency for wireless did not justify it in delaying any longer. I\> intended to erect stations round the coast of Australia, and they were undertaking the responsibility of following the advice of Mr. Balsillie, the expert, who was engaged by Mr. Fisher -when in London, as to the system it was about to adopt. He was not in a position to say, in view of the trouble that had arisen between the two companies mentioned, that ijt might not at come future date be compelled as a Oommon\walth Government to defend the system which, in the name of the Commonwealth, its wireless expert would register, after very considerable and careful attention, and reference to its patent attorneys. He could not guarantee that the Government would bo clear, but if it infringed in any way then it would accept the responsibility of paying for such infringement. The Government expert had given it a system that would be registered in the name of the Commonwealth by the expert. The Government had the Commonwealth rights. If he chose, ac the expert who was responsible for the system, to utilise those rights outside of Australia, they should be his. The Marconi and Telefunken Companies finally took action against the Government for infringement of patents.