''Attorney General v Edison Telephone Co of London Ltd'' (1880–81) LR 6 QBD 244 is an interesting
English law
English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures.
Principal elements of English law
Although the common law has, historically, be ...
case on the application of the old
Telegraph Act 1869. It held that the monopoly of the Post Office under the statute extended to telephone companies.
Facts
The Attorney General claimed the company, formed in 1879 to produce telephones according to two new patents, would be breaching the Postmaster General’s monopoly on the telegraph.
Judgment
Stephen J and Pollock B gave judgment. They held the Act covered ‘communications by any wire and apparatus connected therewith used for telegraphic communication, or by any other apparatus for transmitting messages or other communications by means of electric signals’ (249) This meant that the telephone companies were subject to the licensing and monopoly provisions of the Act. It effectively allowed the Post Office to take over the businesses, which had acted without an authority.
See also
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UK enterprise law
United Kingdom enterprise law concerns the ownership and regulation of organisations producing goods and services in the UK, European and international economy. Private enterprises are usually incorporated under the Companies Act 2006, regulated ...
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Telegraph Act 1868
The Telegraph Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c.110) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It paved the way for the British state to take over telegraph companies and/or their operations.
It has been effectively repealed (only s.1, provi ...
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Attorney General V Edison Telephone Co Of London Ltd
United Kingdom administrative case law
1880 in case law
1880 in British law
Court of King's Bench (England) cases