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B-211986 1 (1984-06-21)

handle is hein.gao/gaobabjao0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 





hUNITED STATES GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE
                      WASHINGTON, D.C. 20548



  B-211986                         June 21, 1984
         DO NOT MAKE AVAiAnLE TO PL1BLIC REA0!NG
                , FOR 30 DAYS
  The Honor'able kirk D. Siljander
  Member, United. States House
    of Representatives
  815 Main Street - Suite 3A
  St. Joseph, Michigan 49085
  Dear Mr. Siljander:.t
                !hii- Ii3n,-r'spns, o a lttrofMa  3Aj-9S3Kj'4f rom a
  memberof ,JyouK'.I!a      nt~e-S a es-.-Court.'ohf Appeals for
          t~e ;..ed eral    cu h~ch refe le-i tofthi ps  f ice;o
     ay. 2l4 ,I.w9 : ;Thetilee.reet . g znonconcerning a
        eusrt  r6situent, Mr.Ewd4ard 'P. RoSerts, that. the
  rnitdd Stateio-ernment :pay; his fani''forthe use of a
  postage cancellin' stamp patentedlby'histancestor. For the
  reasons stated below, it is, our opinion Lhat Mr. Roberts does
  not have a v&alid legal claim against the Government and that
  special legislation would'not be appropriate.
  ,, ~Acc.rdi6ng io the:informationR~provided by-Kr'' Robera , his
  ancestoralong wthothers,pur-
    anbe ;i1Q: 4%h-as'fE lJ1?k totae afrom
  chased.gphrig    to patent aipostage cancelling:stamp f
  t' einve6nor,; P. Noton, 'in.1859.- Three.patet letters
  were'susequently issue;on tneKdevice, datec August 9, 1859,
  ...862, an.dtApri11it4, .1863. Mr. Roberts 'asserts
  that the device'has been' in Sontinuous use by the Government
  since 1863, but that the' Gove'rnmient neither purchased the
  patents nor made any other payment to the owners of the
  patents for theuse of the device.
      SMy'.staff 4nves ted consideble te n        this ;mat-
  te'r,' whi'Ch1, co4'its for the delay in responding to -tho..tter
  C J ~    ' I                   .      fq*~'
  from youroffice. ,We foind that-over a 14-year period (from
  18-8 to 1892), the legal andequitable rigEks.at the owners of
  ,the patents  agaihst the Government were constantly being liti-
  gated. (Copies of the relevant court decisions are .enclosed
  for your information.) Without discussing the details of each
  judicial decision, I think it is fair to say that the merits
  of each contention by the complainants received a full and








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