Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/01/31

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Coatings, Again
From: Stephen <cameras@jetlink.net>
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 08:34:39 -0800
 
Marc James Small wrote:

> Well, modern coatings are still based on MgF;  the difference is in
> the
> coating method.  Zeiss got the patent on the vacuum-deposit technology
> in
> '35 or so, and wouldn't share it with Leitz (though they did license
> it to
> JSK and Zeiss-owned Voigtlander).  So Leitz lenses were coated with a
> drip
> method which left a moist, soft coating, until the Zeiss patent
> expired in
> the late 1950's.

an oft repeated story is that the German and Japanese patents were taken
as war prizes by the Allies after WWII.

if this (or some variation of it) is true, how could Zeiss NOT share
patents with Leica IF Zeiss no longer controlled them?

Thanks

Stephen Gandy