E., there's no reason why the Independent NUS based C.P. Goerz American Optical Company shouldn't have bee the sole agents for William and Otto Goerz's father company C.P. Goerz Berlin, it was fairly normal before WWII. William & Otto had become US citizens by 1905. After all Kodak Ltd in the UK was indepenent of Eastman Kodak in the US although they had some common shareholders.

In fact the term "Sole agents" in itself indicates they are two seperate companie.

There is or was a detailed article online on the early years of C.P.Goerz Am Opt which included quite recent photographs of some of their old premises in New York.

Ian