Did Leica ever sue?

[Ko.Fe.]

After Germany's fall in WWll, the Soviets dismantled the Contax and BMW motorcycle factories and moved them to Russia.

They took far more. "Special" factories I worked as summer student in eighties had some German heavy and sometimes very big equipment. It was well due to service, but not falling apart, yet.

At the end of WWII Americans came first at German rocket research base, but Soviets were few hours behind them. Americans took brains (von Braun) according to the legend, but what they told us for real, Soviet special division took all of the FAU 2 and drawings. And this is where Soviet space program really started.

 

[aoresteen]

They probably did not sue Olympus but there was a problem with their Olympus M1 - later changed to OM 1.

They sent Olympus a letter demanding that Olympus change the name and Olympus agreed thus avoiding litigation.

When they introduced the M3 in 1955 they made it clear that they would defend their patents. The M mount patent(s) all expired by 1999. That's when Konica brought out the Hexar in M mount.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Back to lens coatings, I believed the stories about the war time 'top secret' lens coatings that no one knew about until I read an article in a mid 1930's magazine announcing the news; just don't ask me to find it. I got the impression that the idea came from several sources, ie British discovery of better definition etc from older tarnished lenses, American and German work on coatings and so on. Using the words loosely by the way.

If Zeiss were coating lenses during the war, sorry, break in diplomatic relations between various European countries, then why didn't the 3rd Reich get Leitz to make coated lenses using Zeiss' know how for the armed forces use?

Regards, David

PS Discussions about the 2nd WW ought to be confined to those of us who were around then and had some experience of it, same as discussions about cameras are...

 

[santino]

Thanks!
The M3 is indeed a masterpiece so defense is reasonable.

They sent Olympus a letter demanding that Olympus change the name and Olympus agreed thus avoiding litigation.

When they introduced the M3 in 1955 they made it clear that they would defend their patents. The M mount patent(s) all expired by 1999. That's when Konica brought out the Hexar in M mount.

 

[DominikDUK]

David the Kriegsberichterstatter and the Wehrmacht as well as the Gestapo had coated Leitz lenses as well as Zeiss lenses. They were just not sold to the public, which had bigger problems than coated vs uncoated.

 

[David Hughes]

Thanks, confirms what I've suspected but never seen mentioned. Unless the odd one turns up and is explained away as a post war effort...

Regards, David

PS I think we had much the same problems here and had to launch a public appeal for Leicas and Contaxes. And then impose price controls...