25th October 1945: Application for British Patent to cover Marie’s invention of sound reproduction stylus. Marie had also applied for patents covering her stylus around the world. Pye Radio Ltd opposed her application for a patent – they claimed it was not novel or valid.

8th November: Marie Killick application for British Patent to cover an automatic machine capable of making 10,000 styli per week. Application No.30004

Marie enters into a contract with Shannon & Bishop for sole distribution rights of her stylus Sapphox. They agreed to take delivery of 1,000, quickly raising to 2,000 a week as demand rose. They broke their contract when they heard there was something similar on the market.

16th May 1949: Letter from Circuits Management Association Ltd regarding the outstanding sound quality of Sapphox. The management placed Sapphox in their Odeon cinema in Leicester Square in London. During the six month run of the film Hamlet they had used Sapphox on the two sets of records played during the interval of the film. The quality of the sound was such they were going to use Sapphox in all their cinemas as installations were made.

Marie put her British Patent up for sale to test the market and try to find out what the cause of the blockage to her business was. Pye Ltd was one of the firms who responded to the advertisement. At a meeting with her Pye stated, they had been making and marketing her invention very successfully – that they were a million air company and would come to a settlement with her. Marie informed them they would be hearing from her solicitor.

13th February 1951: Pye objects to the restoration of the British Patent on the grounds that failure to pay the renewal fees was not unintentional and that there was undue delay in the making of the application.

They also so stated that since the date of the Patent’s lapse “They had commenced the manufacture of a sapphire stylus to which the patent relates. They also stated “It was only when she learned that the opponents were making sapphire styli that the patentee wished that the patent had been renewed.

17th September: Marie’s solicitor writes to Pye requesting the number of styli manufactured between October 1949 and November 1951, and then outside the period of the lapsed patent. Also how many styli exhibited in Exhibition in Earl’s Court. They also want to know the number of styli made to Marie’s design they have in stock. They also request Pye’s manufacturing drawing.

4th August 1953: Writ issued on Pye to restrain them from infringing Marie’s patent covering her sound reproducing stylus and an enquiry delivery up of all infringed articles.

Measurements of Pye’s ‘Universal’ stylus taken by National Physical Laboratory.

21st December: Judgement given in Marie’s favour by Chancery Division of High Court of Justice. An injunction to restrain Pye from manufacturing or selling the infringed stylus was made by Justice Lloyd-Jacob and an order to deliver up to Marie or destroy under oath, the remaining infringed articles.

Note: in 1957, 30,000,000 records were sold in the UK alone. Pye claimed to have only manufactured 50,000 stylus infringing her patent.

11th January 1959: Telegram to Justice Lloyd-Jacob regarding the blockage Marie is experiencing in pursuing the assessment of her damage claim against Pye. She has tried four solicitors who all believe that the matter is to complex for them. She is also experiencing anonymous phone calls (see documents).

31st January: Mr Walker, (her junior council during the infringement case) also refuses to act in the assessment of damages, claiming it is a separate matter from proving infringement. He shares the same chambers as Mr Johnson, Pye’s leading council during the court hearings.

Note: Solicitors after talking to Mr Dicks decides not to take the case because Mr Dicks questions the amount of damages due to Marie!

12th February: Marie finally finds a solicitor prepared to take on the damage enquiry against Pye.

21st February: Bankruptcy notice served on Marie. Marie denied that she owed Mrs Thomas (petitioner) the debt.

24th February: Musical Trade deny knowledge of Marie’s Sapphox or Pye’s Dual Purpose stylus when enquires are made by potential backers for manufacture of Sapphox. Potential backers withdraw from negotiations.

18th March: Bankruptcy Notice issued 8 months after the judgement upheld against Pye in Marie’s favour in Court of Appeal. Marie still trying to have the judgement in Mrs Thomas’s favour for debt set aside.

22nd July 1959: Justice Lloyd-Jacob’s direction for Pye to make available for inspection their books and documents relating to his judgement of their infringement of Marie’s patent. (One Year after the Judge ordered Pye to reveal their books!)

29th July: During the hearing in the Brighton County Court Marie’s counsel pointed out to the Registrar that Mrs Killick had a judgement in her favour and that she would get damages as a result of the judgement. The Registrar stated. “That is an empty judgement”!

31st July: Mrs Killick to attend the Office of the Official Receiver on 6th August at his office. This was all accomplished in just 7 months from the writ being issued against Marie by Mrs Thomas.

28th August: Notice to Marie to attend her first meeting of her creditors on 8th September 1959 at 11.am. “Further notice that if you fail to comply with the requirements of this notice you will be in contempt of Court and may be punished accordingly.”

September 1959: Marie was still battling on trying to prevent the Official Receiver from settling her damage claim for a derisory amount (£4,330). She flew to Paris to negotiate with the Banque de Paris for a loan of £25,000 on security of a ¼ share in her British Patent, when she received a summons to return to Britain to attend the Creditors Meeting on the 8th. Marie returned with a draft agreement and requested of the Official Receiver that she be given a few more days to conclude the deal and settle her debts in full and take back control of her damage claim and re-start manufacture of Sapphox. He omitted to tell the creditors of the agreement and recommended that Marie be declared a bankrupt.  Negotiations with the Banque de Paris came to an end.

Marie started proceedings in the courts to prevent the Official Receiver from settling with Pye.

Mr Yelland, the Assistant Official Receiver informed Marie at a meeting that she had not been adjudicated Bankrupt and he would approve any negotiations for the sale of assets, which would enable her to clear her debts.

Why then did the Official Receiver refuse to give her time to return to Paris to conclude the deal involving her British patent?

11th September: The Official Receiver Mr Parker writes to Marie to inform her that as she has now been adjudicated bankrupt that he has a duty to take possession of and protect the assets which now vest in him. He requests all Marie’s books, accounts and any documents that relate to her claim against Pye Ltd to substantiate the claims against Pye.

28th September: A Trustee in Bankruptcy is appointed Mr Bradley-Hole. He informs Marie that she is at liberty to negotiate the sale of the British  Patent until the final stages, when the details must be submitted to him to deal with final negotiations. He writes to the Westminster Bank to this end.

A letter from Marie’s solicitors to the Brighton County Court to say that they are instructed to apply by Motion to Immediately to Restrain the Official Receiver from accepting a payment of £4,330 in full discharge of all claims by the estate against Pye Ltd. “So far as we have been able in the time available to read the numerous papers involved, it does seem to us that Mrs Killick is right in regarding such a sum a totally inadequate.”

Marie, determined not to be robbed of her damages, had battled on through months of pain and illness. Eventually, pneumonia, cancer of the spine and lungs took her life on 20th January 1964. She died penniless and homeless after the Official Receiver, despite all her efforts to prevent him, settled with Pye Ltd for £4,330 – not only robbing Marie her due but her creditors only received 2 shillings and 6 pence in the pound of debt owed them!