This is not a revelation. It has been known about for some time and was described in some detail in a television documentary released several years ago.

This isn't new News. Any IT perp knew Bell was a very naughty boy.

But will History be rewritten? I doubt it.

For a similar controversy, see Samuel Morse nicking the best telegraph design and an alphabet code from his business partner Alfred Vail.

thats really old news, we all there has been abuse of the patent system ever since it was started

On to better news...wow, Phenom sucks!

The corruptibility of the patent office, at the turn of the previous century, must have been well known to at least one other inventor.

Edison was a basket case when it came to guarding his ideas. He actually had the right idea: if you don't want anybody to know about it, keep it secret, from everyone.

Sure, he was a nut, but look at all the inventions credited to him. He may have stolen a few inventions, himself, but could anyone claim, in 1899, that "I stole this idea from Thomas Edison?"

I thought not.

This seems like a lot of hooey. Gray wasn't even working on the concept of voice over the line. If Gray's work was what everything was based on, we'd all be learning morse code in kindergarten now.
Also, the book doesn't "reveal" anything. It proposes, it insinuates, it alleges. Please pull your thesaurus out of your... bookshelf.

It's all very good and moral to teach children that crime does not pay. I am sure Mr Bell told his children something along those lines, or was told by his parents.

Ironically, crime does occasionally pay. How unfortunate that the truth was uncovered much too late.

How many more such untold stories are out there? some happening this very moment...


He actually stole if from an Italian Man Called Meucci, as the American patent office has admitted. They granted Bell the patent originally for nationalistic reasons.

Antonio Meucci seems to be related enough to telephone invention that the house of representatives issued the resolution 269 especially in that sense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Meucci#The_House_of_Representatives_Resolution_269