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Armstrong, whose inventions in the area of the FM radio were frequently
challenged, eventually won his legal battles against his old friend David
Sarnoff, President of RCA - but only after Armstrong's death. His patent
infringement lawsuit against his former friend, Sarnoff, proved to be
both acrimonious and drawn out. In fact, RCA's lawyers kept Armstrong
on the witness stand for an entire year! Armstrong risked -- and lost
-- his fortune in the process of the litigation and committed suicide
by jumping from the 13th-floor window of his Manhattan apartment on January
31, 1954. It has been said that Armstrong suffered "death by attorneys."
After his death, RCA settled with Armstrong's estate on his patents.
Armstrong's is a tragic story reflecting the inherent unfairness of the
David vs. Goliath battle between a solo inventor and a large corporation.
According to intellectual property litigation attorney Joseph N. Hosteny,
"Contingent fee litigation would have been ideal in a situation like this
one. David Sarnoff was an extraordinarily wealthy person with a huge
corporation, RCA, backing him up. There is no way that a man like Armstrong
could have gone head to head with him in court without incurring tremendous
losses, both financial and emotional. Contingent fee litigation, which
has only come into being in the last five years, might have changed the
face of history and saved Armstrong. With contingent fee litigation, the
attorney does not charge his regular hourly fee, but rather, takes a gamble
with the inventor and they share financially in the victory."
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