Byte (magazine) - Foundation

Foundation

In 1975 Wayne Green was the editor and publisher of 73 (an amateur radio magazine) and his ex-wife, Virginia Londner Green, was the Business Manager of 73 Inc. In the August 1975 issue of 73 magazine Wayne's editorial column started with this item:

"The response to computer-type articles in 73 has been so enthusiastic that we here in Peterborough got carried away. On May 25th we made a deal with the publisher of a small (400 circulation) computer hobby magazine to take over as editor of a new publication which would start in August ... Byte."

Byte's first editor was Carl Helmers and in the first anniversary issue he wrote: "Byte began with its first issue dated September 1975. That first issue was assembled from scratch in seven weeks of hectic activity starting May 25, 1975."

Byte was published by a new company, Green Publishing, which was wholly owned by Virginia Green, who had kept the surname after her divorce ten years earlier. Because she started Green Publishing and Byte magazine with limited capital, which she borrowed from her family, much of the work of the early issues was sub-contracted to various individuals and companies, mostly in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire. 73, which had excess staff capacity, did much of the "paste up" of the magazine pages for the first 4 issues under sub-contract from Virginia Green. In 3 of those first 4 issues, without permission or authority, Wayne Green inserted his name and the title of Publisher just before the final page "boards" were sent to the printer. After the third occurrence, Virginia Green removed all work in progress from the 73 premises and used other sub-contractors and her own growing Byte staff.

A 1985 Folio magazine article suggested that "One day in November 1975 Wayne came to work and found that the Byte magazine staff had moved out and taken the January issue with them." This Folio article quoting Wayne Green was the genesis of libel actions by Virginia Green against both Folio and Wayne Green in the New Hampshire Superior Court in Manchester. Folio had never attempted to corroborate Wayne Green's statements with Virginia Green, Carl Helmers, or the law firm that organized Virginia Green's publishing company to publish, inter alia, Byte Magazine. Both Folio and Wayne Green settled before trial with large payments to Virginia Green.

The January 1976 issue has Virginia Green listed as Publisher.

Virginia Green Williamson's third husband, attorney Gordon Williamson, wrote a book contending that Wayne Green's role in founding Byte was minimal and that litigation between the parties was settled against Wayne Green's interests. See "See Wayne Run. Run, Wayne, Run." (Barkley, 1988).

The February 1976 issue of Byte has a short story about the move. "After a start which reads like a romantic light opera with an episode or two reminiscent of the Keystone Cops, Byte magazine finally has moved into separate offices of its own."

In the autumn of 1976 Wayne Green announced the planned launch of a computer magazine called Kilobyte. Byte quickly trademarked KILOByte as a cartoon series in Byte magazine as the first of a planned family of trademarks based upon the original "Byte" trademark. A trademark infringement lawsuit in US Federal Court in Concord, New Hampshire by Byte against Wayne Green and Kilobyte was settled with Green changing the name of his proposed magazine to Kilobaud before the first issue was produced. Byte magazine's policy was not to mention competitors in its pages, including Wayne Green's publications. There continued to be competition and animosity between Byte Publications and 73 Inc., both located in the small town of Peterborough, New Hampshire.