PROSECUTED FOR VIOLATION OF INVENTION SECRET

For ten years, Mr. Baptiste Vaurs, mechanic, residing at 38, rue Brunel, had been working on the development of a machine of his invention, intended to manufacture automobile valves and bolts. Thanks to this machine, he hoped to obtain very high speed in manufacturing.
Mr. Vaurs, who had long used the services of a designer in whom he had complete confidence, Mr. Henri V..., residing at avenue des Ternes, confided to him the secret of his invention, not considering for a moment that he could betray him.

Trust poorly placed, since V..., leaving Mr. Vaurs three months ago, took the plans of the machine and communicated them to a competitor of the mechanic, an industrialist established at avenue de Saint-Ouen, boasting to the latter of being the author of the project.

Immediately hired for a salary of 1,500 francs per month, with the promise of a payment of 100,000 francs if the invention gave the expected results, V... was to work on perfecting it.

Since then, the dishonest designer made modifications and even improvements to the device every day, following the instructions given to him by his successor to Mr. Vaurs, a certain Maurice S..., who was as unscrupulous as he was.

But recently the inventor got wind that indiscretions had been committed concerning the secret of his machine and, suspecting his former designer, filed a complaint with Mr. Guillaume, commissioner of the judicial research department.

Questioned by the magistrate, V... and S... made full confessions. Both will be prosecuted under Article 418 of the Penal Code relating to the revelation of manufacturing secrets, for theft and receiving stolen goods.