Glass-Container Patent Pool

The glass-container patent pool is The Invention Invention’s abuse case for Patent Pool Cartel Risk. The source says a pool organized around glass-container machinery, including a machine called a gob feeder, involved four companies and controlled more than 94% of U.S. glass containers.

The U.S. government sued, arguing that the pool restricted output, fixed prices, and blocked competitors. The episode says the 1945 Supreme Court decision helped establish that patent-pool licensing needed to be fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory, later summarized as FRAND.

Connections

• Patent Pool Cartel Risk - concept this case grounds.
• Supreme Court, Sherman Antitrust Act, and U.S. Department of Justice - legal and enforcement context.
• FRAND Licensing and Antitrust Chill - consequences drawn from the case.