Marzall, Commissioner of Patents v. Fox. Fox v. Marzall, Commissioner of Patents

This case involves the interpretation of R.S. § 480, which provides: “All officers and employees of the Patent Office shall he incapable, during the period for which they hold their appointments, to acquire or take, directly or indirectly, except by inheritance or bequest, any right or interest in any patent issued by the office.” (35 U.S.C. § 4).

The question here presented is whether R. S. § 480 authorizes the Commissioner of Patents to strike from the files a patent application filed by a former employee of the Patent Office, after his resignation, where the idea for the invention was…