Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/01/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Marc, Legally you are right, but even if they owned Goerz let's just say they borrowed some of their intellectual property. Let's leave this one die. Fact of the matter is that within the optical industry people just borrow. Like Apple borrowed the idea of the MAC OS from Xerox, WIndows from MAC, etc. Fact is only the strong survive, Leica, Zeiss, Microsoft, and perhaps even Apple. Peter K > ---------- > From: Marc James Small[SMTP:msmall@roanoke.infi.net] > Reply To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Sent: Saturday, January 09, 1999 5:40 PM > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Subject: Re: [Leica] Design Thievery > > At 01:15 PM 1999-01-09 -0800, Peter Kotsinadelis wrote: > >You guys are funny. Hey, this is a Leica list but understand everyone is > a > >thief is probably closer to the truth. Zeiss took many basic lens > designs > >from others like British lens designers Cooke and Thornton. Goerz was > also > >copying other designs, Zeiss copying Goerz, Leica using the triplet-type > >designs of Zeiss with modification of course. > > No, this wasn't the case. When Zeiss or Leitz used a patented design, > they > paid the licensing fee. This is why the initial Leica had an "Anastigmat" > lens: Berek used a Tessar formula, still protected by the Zeiss patent, > and so he was required to use the Zeiss-mandated name. When the Zeiss > patent expired, this name -- but not the lens formula! -- was changed, all > legal and proper, to Elmax. > > Zeiss owned Goerz, so they had every legal right to use Goerz designs. > > Marc > > msmall@roanoke.infi.net FAX: +540/343-7315 > Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir! >