This folder contains correspondence and other documents relating to the use of Edison's name, whether authorized or unauthorized, for advertising, trademark, or other purposes. Among the items for 1909 are letters pertaining to a contract with Nelson Goodyear, inventor of the "Edison Oxygen Generator"; to the unauthorized use of Edison's name by La Salle Extension University of Chicago; and to the use of his name by advertisers of motion pictures in the United States and Italy. There are also letters regarding a confidence man reportedly using Edison's name.
Approximately 30 percent of the documents have been selected. The items not selected include letters pertaining to the "Edisonia" storage battery, the Edison vitalizer, Edison's Polyform, and the use of Edison's name by motion picture theaters; letters about children named after Edison; a bulletin from La Salle Extension University; and documents that duplicate information in selected material.
Related documents can be found in the Legal Department Records. Items concerning the use of the name "Thomas A. Edison, Jr." can be found in D-09-13 (Edison, T.A. - Family).
[D0916AAA], Letter from Frank Lewis Dyer to Dyer Smith, January 13th, 1909 1909-01-13