By
Mary
Bellis
George Selden (1846-1922) was a patent
attorney from Rochester, New York. In 1879, Selden filed a patent what
he called a "road engine". Due to the patent laws of the era, the George
Selden patent was pre-dated to 1877. Over the years, Selden expanded the
claims of his patent and when it was finally granted in 1895, Selden had
a patent for a three cylinder motor vehicle that allowed George Selden
to collect royalties from all American
car manufacturers. The car manufacturers were paying Selden's holding
company (Association of Licensed Automotive Manufacturers or ALAM)
for the patent licensing rights to build cars.
The patent was questionable, George
Selden had never built a car. One car manufacturer refused to pay any licensing
fees to George Selden. Henry Ford
refused to pay George Selden and Selden took Henry Ford to a long court
battle.
In 1904, the judge of the Selden
vs Ford court case ordered an automobile built according to the George
Selden patent. The Selden car was a failure and the Selden patent was overturned
in 1911 that stopped Selden from collecting any more royalties and American
car manufacturers were free to build cars at a lower cost.
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