 He patented his invention in London on 2 September 1874, but in the United States Alexander Graham Bell, Elisha Gray and others had been working along similar lines, which resulted in protests against his American patent applications.Having too little money to pay lawyers, he gave up his claim in America, and this invention was credited to Elisha Gray.La Cour however maintained that Gray had been working on the invention of the telephone, and only had changed his invention at the instant la Cour's American application was published.