They only proclaimed his methods, and enabled other
ingenious mechanics to borrow his adaptations. Now that he had
succeeded in making machines that would work, the way was clear
for everybody else to follow his footsteps. It had taken him
more than six years to invent and construct a successful steam
printing press; but any clever mechanic, by merely studying his
specification, and examining his machine at work, might arrive at
the same results in less than a week.
The patents did not protect him. New specifications, embodying
some modification or alteration in detail, were lodged by other
inventors and new patents taken out. New printing machines were
constructed in defiance of his supposed legal rights; and he
found himself stripped of the reward that he had been labouring
for during so many long and toilsome years. He could not go to
law, and increase his own vexation and loss. He might get into
Chancery easy enough; but when would he get out of it, and in
what condition?
It must also be added, that Koenig was unfortunate in his partner
Bensley. While the inventor was taking steps to push the sale of
his book-printing machines among the London printers, Bensley,
who was himself a book-printer, was hindering him in every way in
his negotiations. Koenig was of opinion that Bensley wished to
retain the exclusive advantage which the possession of his
registering book machine gave him over the other printers, by
enabling him to print more quickly and correctly than they could,
and thus give him an advantage over them in his printing
contracts.
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