[LB050404], Letter from Alfred Ord Tate to Sherburne Blake Eaton, July 23rd, 1891
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/LB050404
Transcription
July 23, 1891. Major S.B. Eaton, Edison Building, Broad St., New York City. Dear Sir:- I enclose herewith two agreements between T.A. Edison, Feliz de Lalande, and Georges Chaperon, dated, respectively, 24th August, 1889, and April 8th, 1890. The latter provides for the payment to Lalande of a royalty on cells sold by Mr. Edison in the Dominion of Canada, Republic of Mexico, and foreign countries. The first agreement provides for a minimum royalty of $2,00 per year on cells sold within the United States. The royalty on foreign sales is separate and must be paid in addition to this minimum guarantee-at least so I interpret the contracts. Now I want to know if we sell to the E.S. Greeley Company, for instance, in New York City, and Greeley exports the cells to Mexico, must we account under the contract of August 24th, 1889, or under the contract of April 8th 1890? In other words, would that constitute a sale by Edison in the United States or a sale by him in Mexico? We make sales to Greely now, and he can dispose of the batteries in the United States or in certain South American countries, as he pleases to. What I want to know is, whether Greely would, in the eyes of the law, be considered a medium, or whether our responsibility ceases when we make sales to him in New York? Lalande has no patents in any of the countries which I have in mind. Yours very truly, A.O. Tate Private Sec'y.