Honolulu Record, August 19, 1948, vol. 1 no. 3, p. 7
Univis makes bifocal lenses. In 1931 it organized an efficient monopoly. Through control of patents it issued licenses to manufacture only to companies which would agree to maintain high prices. In Darel McConkey's book Out Of Your Pocket appears the following quote from a Univis statement: ". . . the secret of our perpetual success is that we do not license anyone who has the slightest idea of cutting prices on any kind of merchandise." As extra protection for its high prices, Univis would not license dealers who advertized [sic] installment buying. That meant you had to be able to put cash on the line for Univis bifocals even if you were going blind.
Keeps Competition Out
In 1939 a competitor appeared, the Titmus Optical Co. Under pressure of Univis' threat to bring suit for patent infringement, Titmus backed out of the market.
All of this was clearly antisocial. It was also illegal. The Justice Dept. entered a complaint against Univis in 1940. The government suit was upheld in the Supreme Court in 1942. But, while the company was ordered to stop violating the antitrust laws, no one was sent to jail. No police appeared at the company's offices to work the Univis executives over with clubs. Actually, it is unlikely under present conditions that the bulk of anti-trust cases will ever come to trial. More than 1,100 complaints of anti-trust violations have been made by the Justice Dept. Yet, in the last three years only 86 cases were disposed of through the courts.