PIANO WARS: THE LEGAL MACHINATIONS OF LONDON PIANOFORTE MAKERS, 1795–1806

What is it about?

Drawing on original court case documents and an array of other contemporary primary source materials, the authors recount the story of a succession of acrimonious lawsuits filed in London courts during the period 1801-1806, involving a number of England’s top pianoforte manufacturers of the day, including Longman & Broderip, Muzio Clementi & Co. and Broderip & Wilkinson. These cases centre around disputes concerning ownership of contractual permission to use features of William Southwell’s seminal 1794 pianoforte patent, following the bankruptcy of Longman & Broderip, with whom he had entered into a legal agreement shortly before their monetary difficulties became known. In an attempt to defend his patent rights, in 1803 Southwell personally raised a case against the mighty firm of Broadwood, alleging that they were using aspects of his design without permission. In brief, court documents reveal that ultimately Southwell found himself in a position where he could no longer sustain his patent rights against all comers, since they had already become widely adopted by many makers. Sadly, he had become a victim of his own inventive success.

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