This file consists of Edison's brief before the Commissioner of Patents in the case of Edison v. Thomson, which involved conflicting claims over the incandescent lamp. Elihu Thomson (1853-1937) was an inventor and scientist with over seven hundred patents in the electrical field. Along with Edwin J. Houston (1847-1914), he established the Thomson-Houston Electric Co. as major competitor to Edison's company until April 15, 1892, when it merged with the Edison General Electric Co. to become General Electric. Courtesy of the National Archives.